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C9. AQUATIC ECOLOGY
(KUL-code: GM22 (Th); GM23 (Pr))
Lecturer: DE MEESTER L.
ECTS-credit: 5 pts
Contact hours: 30 hrs. of theory/30 hrs. of practical (including field excursion)
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of biology
Time and place: 1st semester, 13 sessions of 3 hours each, K.U.Leuven
Course syllabus: Lecture notes
Evaluation: Oral exam with written preparation
Comparable handbook: Freshwater ecology
- Horne, A.J. & C.R. Goldman, 1994. Limnology, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York
- Wetzel, R.G., 1983. Limnology, 2nd ed., Saunders College Publishing, Forth Worth
- Moss, B., 1998. Ecology of Fresh Waters, Man and Medium, Past to future. Third ed.
Blackwell Science.
Marine ecology
- Levinton, J.S., 1995. Marine biology: function, biodiversity, ecology. Oxford
University Press, New York
Additional information: -
Learning objectives:
The course aims to provide an introduction to the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, in such a
way that the information can be usefully applied in water quality assessment, water quality management and
rehabilitation of natural aquatic environments. It is aimed to provide the student with the necessary background
on ecology in general and fresh water ecology in particular, so as to guide him/her in judging on the impact of
certain measures or disturbances on aquatic ecosystems, in developing and evaluating restoration measures,
interpreting reports on environmental degradation, etc.
Course description:
Emphasis is on the structure and functioning of freshwater systems, but comparative information on marine
systems is provided. Wherever possible, the concepts and ideas developed in the course are also illustrated
using examples from and studies carried out in the tropics.
A) Freshwater ecology:
1) Characteristics of water;
2) Hydrological cycle;
3) Lentic habitats (lakes, ponds,...):
- Distribution, genesis, typology and morphology of inland waters;
- Physico-chemical characteristics of lakes and ponds: light; thermal stratification; oxygen; salinity;
inorganic carbon; nitrogen cycle; phosphorus cycle; micronutrients;
- Productivity of aquatic ecosystems;
- Living biota: phytoplankton community, zooplankton community, fish and the trophic cascade;
4) Lotic habitats (streams and rivers): typology, community structure, floodplains;
5) Estuaries;
6) Notes on tropical limnology;
B) Marine ecology: general characteristics in comparison to freshwater ecosystems; physical and chemical
characteristics; living biota; phytoplankton; zooplankton; fish and fisheries; productivity.
Practical exercises consist of:
- Introduction to sampling equipment for determination of physico-chemical characteristics of water, the
sampling of phyto- and zooplankton, periphyton and benthos;
- Freshwater communities (phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos);
- Introduction to marine communities; excursion.
15 / Course syllabi