Early Life History of Fishes (3 credits)
Course Number: 16:712:524

Normally offered: Fall every fourth year, Fridays at the Marine Field Station, Tuckerton
Instructor: Professor Ken Able

Prerequisites and other registration instructions: 11:628:321 Ichthyology or permission of the instructor

Format: Lectures/discussions and field and laboratory exercises. Grades based on student presentations and original paper on the early life history of a selected species, as derived from intensive studies during the semester.

Description: This course integrates aspects of the phylogeny, morphology, life history, ecology and behavior of fishes, the most diverse group of living vertebrates, during the egg, larval and juvenile stages. The course includes detailed treatments of representative estuarine marine and freshwater fishes. Course components include: lectures, laboratory and field exercises, trips to ichthyological museums in the region, discussions of papers, and preparation of an extensive paper.

The primary goal of this course is to expose graduate students to the complexities in the early life history of fishes, the most diverse group of vertebrates living today. The course is designed to expose students to laboratory and field methodological techniques used in the study of these fishes and familiarize them with the importance of the early life history in broader studies of the ecology of estuarine, marine, and freshwater environments.

This course emphasizes student learning through hands-on techniques and development of their own concepts based on original research from the literature and the students' laboratory and field studies. The course provides introductory background on the phylogeny, morphology, ecology, and behavior of fishes followed by extensive laboratory and field studies at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station.

The course uses a single text (Able and Fahay, 1998) as a baseline for original studies of these and other species to enhance existing knowledge of this poorly known component of the life history. The text will be supplemented with additional readings and materials supplied by occasional guest lecturers. Course grade is based on the preparation of a paper emphasizing the early life history of a single species, and class participation. The paper will be prepared as if for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, reviewed extensively by the instructor, and the grade applied to the final draft of the manuscript.

During the semester, readings and students' presentations will supplement discussions of course topics.

Examinations: none

Other Requirements: The grade for the course is based on the paper (80%) and class participation in presentations and discussions (20%). Research on the early life history will involve one-on-one discussions with the instructor and associated investigators (guest lecturers and post-docs) to develop their ideas and the paper.

Course Syllabus
1. Description of the course structure/goals/grading and expectations as well as logistical demands of meeting at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. Introduction to fishes and the early life history.

Lecture Discussions:
 
  1. Morphology of eggs, larvae and juveniles. Field exercise-collection and preservation techniques for eggs and larvae.
  2. Ontogeny of fishes. Field exercise-collection and preservation techniques for juveniles.
  3. Natural history in estuarine. Marine and freshwater environments. Laboratory exercise-ontogenetic studies with clearing and staining techniques.
  4. Behavior of the early life history states. Laboratory exercise-video imagery of morphology and behavior.
  5. Ecology and the early life history states. Laboratory exercise-otolith aging techniques.
  6. Field trip to ichthyological museums. Exercise-identification of early life history states and familiarization with curatorial practices.
  7. Field trip to egg and larval rearing facility.
  8. - 12. Student exercises and original research.
 
  1. Student presentations of progress on life history studies and submission of first draft of paper.
  2. Discussion of instructor's review of class and individual draft.
  3. No final exam. Submission of final draft of class paper.

Text book:
Able, K.W. and M.P. Fahay. 1998. The First Year in the Life of Estuarine Fishes in the Middle Atlantic Bight, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ.

This course complements existing undergraduate courses such as: Vertebrate Zoology, Marine Sciences, Ichthyology, Estuarine Ecology, and Biological Oceanography.

Types of Meetings:
Intensive gatherings lasting all day on Fridays that will provide an introduction to the study of the early life history of fishes, extensive field and laboratory exercises on the techniques used to do these studies, and complementary field trips to ichthyological museum (Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia) and fish-rearing facility (National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory, Sandy Hook).

Location:
All regular class meetings will be held at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS), which is located in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) at Mullica River-Great Bay, near Tuckerton, New Jersey. This location is chosen because of the extensive ichthyological library, preserved fish collections, laboratories with microscopes, possibilities for collecting additional material in the immediate vicinity of RUMFS and access to long-term sampling locations. The JC NERR is the location of some of the most extensive studies of the early life history on the East Coast of the U.S.