Meets the following requirements: ES   

This stream ecology course is designed to be taught in conjunction with a course taught by Ken Cline (River Conservation) to generate an interdisciplinary, 2-unit course examining rivers.  Students must take both courses concurrently.  Lectures and discussions on organismal diversity and ecological processes and interactions in rivers will be supported by readings from the textbook, Stream Ecology by J. D. Allan and additional readings from the primary literature and other texts.  There will also be significant lab and field components to this course, in which students will become familiar with experimental design and the identification, natural history, and methods of studying organisms in rivers, including algae, microorganisms, plants, invertebrates, and fish.  The class will conduct a field study on a local stream in which we will document aspects of basic water chemistry and macroinvertebrate diversity and density along the stream.  The utility of this type of quantitative, scientific study in informing policy decisions regarding rivers, development, and regulations will be critically examined.  Evaluation of student work in this course will be based on short problem sets, a lab exam, participation in discussions and in the field, and contributions to class projects.  THIS COURSE MUST BE TAKEN WITH HS-496, RIVER CONSERVATION.

Level: Intermediate.  Prerequisite Permission of instructor.  Lab fee: $125.  *ES*