Biology 546 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology

Summer, 2002

Date Day Topic Text chapter

May 29 W Introduction to estuaries, skills & techniques 1

Jun 1-2 SS Open weekend

3 M Temperature, salinity, circulation patterns

5 W Tidal freshwater community

8-9 SS Open weekend

10 M Freshwater marshes Skills test 6

12 W Submersed aquatic vegetation, saline marshes

15-16 SS Field trip to tidal freshwater river (Gunston Cove, Va)

17 M Habitats, selected dominant animals 2, 9, 10

19 W Plant nutrients Biota test 7, 14

22-23 SS Open weekend

24 M Productivity and plankton 12, 19

26 W Sediments and benthos 8

28-29-30 FSS Field trip to mesohaline estuary (Ragged Point, Va)

Jul 1 M Shorelines Midterm test 16

3 W continue

6-7 SS Open weekend

8 M Saltwater marshes

10 W Energy flow 4, 5

12-13-14 FSS Field trip to polyhaline estuary and coast (Wachapreague, Va)

15 M Impact of human activity on estuaries 13, 15, 16, 17, 18

17 W continue

14-15 SS Open weekend

22 M Final exam

Course prerequisites: A course in general ecology or permission of the instructor.

Course objectives: To provide a graduate level introduction to the ecology of the mid-Atlantic coast and the tidal environment where freshwater from rivers and creeks mixes with saltwater from the ocean. Special attention is given to the connective relationships between the stream watersheds, the estuary, and the coastal ocean. Physical, chemical, biological, and anthropogenic factors are examined separately and as an integrated whole, with the Chesapeake Bay used as an example. Students are given hands-on experience with standard instruments for physical and chemical measurements, and sampling devices for biota.

Instructional methods: The course will be taught with traditional lectures and discussions, practical training in equipment use and biota identification in the laboratory, and field observations and sampling on three weekend field trips to different salinity environments.

Grading: Two essay exams (100 pt. midterm and 100 pt. final) on the lecture material and interpretation of field trip data. One practical test (40 pt.) on skills and techniques and one practical test (30 pt.) on aquatic organism identification. A 30 pt. additional credit project is available.

Honor Code Statement: I believe in and support the Honor Code and expect students to abide by and support it also.

Text: Majumdar, S.K., L.W. Hall, Jr., and H.M. Austin. 1987. Contaminant problems and management of living Chesapeake Bay resources. Pennsylvania Acad. Sci., Easton, PA 572 p.

Suggested Field guides:

Lippson, A.J. and R.L. Lippson. 1997. Life in the Chesapeake Bay. 2nd Ed. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. 229 p.

White, C.P. 1989. Chesapeake Bay. Nature of the estuary. A field guide. Tidewater Publ., Centreville, MD. 212 p.

Gosner, K.L. 1978. A field guide to the Atlantic seashore from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. 329 p.

Robins, C.R., G.C. Ray, and John Douglass. 1986. A field guide to the Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Office: 3016 David King Hall 703 993-1061 dkelso@gmu.edu

I will maintain open office hours between 9:00 and 4:00 most days. Please call ahead to confirm my availability.

Biology 546 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology

Additional comments

Summer, 2001

1. Grade in the course will be based on 270 or 300 points. There will be a skills and techniques test (40 pts), an aquatic organism identification test (30 pts), an optional project/report (30 pts), a mid-term lecture test (100 pts) and a final exam (100 pts).

2. Each student is responsible for learning how to operate each piece of lab or field equipment before the beginning of the first field trip.

3. Each piece of equipment which is broken or lost through negligence will result in a loss of 3 grade points from the final grade.

4. Any equipment or course material which, due to an attitude of leave-it-for-someone-else, is not cleaned up at the end of lab or a field trip will result in the loss of 3 points from the final grade of all individuals in the class, unless the mess is attributable to specific individuals. Similar deductions will result if the permanent preserved collections of animals or plants are abused or disordered.

5. All field trip data must be worked up and available to the class one week after the results are available.

6. There will be 3 field trips during the course. I will expect active participation by all students at any time during the trips. I will need 2 students to help me prepare for each trip, and the rest of the students will help with the clean-up when we get back.

7. On the field trips, plan to eat (supper or breakfast, as appropriate) before we depart. Pack a bag lunch (plastic bag) for Saturday. Space on the boats is limited, so don't bring coolers or a lot of extra gear. For breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, plan to bring your own food (that doesn't require much preparation/cleanup time). We'll find a restaurant to eat in Saturday night and a fast food place for Sunday noon on the way home. No alcoholic beverages will be drunk, and there will be no loud discussions or carousing after 10:00 PM. There will be no smoking allowed in the lab, vans, or boats. No spouses, children or friends may accompany students on the field trips. Lodging will cost $3-10 per person per night. Dinners will cost $4-15 per person per dinner. Boat rental costs may be $5-10 per person per trip. Additional shared expenses may be $5-10 per person.

8. Each student will be expected to provide his/her own forceps, field notebook, pencils and bag in which to carry them. I recommend long pants and long sleeve shirt for protection from mosquitoes, deer flies, jellyfish and the sun. Wear pants and laced shoes which you can wear into the water and the mud. Bring a rain-repellent jacket and hat or expect to get wet. A sun-hat and dark glasses are recommended.

Skills to know for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology

1. dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductance, specific conductance, salinity, pH, turbidity with a Hydrolab Surveyor 4 display unit and MiniSonde sensor unit

2. dissolved oxygen measurement with YSI meter Models 51, 57, 58, and 85

3. salinity/conductivity measurement with YSI SCT meter Model 33 and 85

4. salinity measurement with refractometer

5. light measurement with Li-Cor Quantum Sensor and meter

6. flow measurement with General Oceanics Model 2030 flowmeter

7. water sample collection with Van Dorn or Niskin water samplers

8. water clarity measurement with a Secchi disk

9. sediment/benthos sample collection with a Ponar grab and mini-Ponar grab

10. sediment/benthos sample collection with an Ekman grab

11. benthos sample collection with an oyster dredge, a sled dredge, and a bucket dredge

12. phytoplankton and zooplankton sample collection

13. fish sample collection with a seine

14. fish sample collection with an otter trawl

15. plankton sample size reduction with a plankton splitter

16. plankton sample analysis with a counting cell

17. fish and invertebrate narcotization and preservation procedures

18. sample label making (field and permanent)

19. boating safety guidelines

20. shackle use

21. knot tying (bowline, square, two half-hitches, trawl cod-end, cleat tie-off)

22. marine chart interpretation

23. boat navigation rules

24. VHF radio use

25. eye level use and elevation profile measurement

26. Global Positioning System (GPS) unit use