BIO 341 - Limnology | ![]() |
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Limnology is the multidisciplinary study of inland waters. Here at UW-L, Limnology is a 3 credit course that is taught every fall semester and is the foundation for the Aquatic Science Concentration in the Department of Biology and is an elective for the Environmental Studies minor. However, the course is open to anyone who is interested in learning about aquatic systems and has met the prerequisites (see the catalog description below). As the instructor, I would say the class is challenging, but very interesting and fun. We cover the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of groundwater, stream, river, and lake ecosystems, however, an emphasis is placed on lakes. The laboratory portion of the course complements the course fairly well, especially in the physical and biological areas (chemical analysis of water is a focal point in BIO 447- Standard Methods in Water Analysis). Also, during lab, we take several field trips to collect organisms and gain hands-on experience sampling lakes, streams, and rivers. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the course is a weekend field trip to Pigeon Lake Field Station in the northwoods of Wisconsin, where we visit the Apostle Islands shore of Lake Superior, investigate a northern bog lake, and sample a couple of area lakes.
Here is a copy of a recent syllabus for the class.
The official course description from the university catalog is as follows:
"This course includes fundamentals of aquatic ecology, with special reference to community ecology. Taxonomy, stratification and succession of organisms to be investigated. Energy traffic through aquatic ecosystems will also be investigated. Field trips required. Lect. 2, Lab. 3. Prerequisite: BIO 103 or 105, one additional biology course, and one semester of chemistry. Offered Sem. I."
If you want more information about the class, feel free to contact me:
Dr. Eric Strauss
Office: 2033 Cowley Hall
Phone: (608) 785-8262
Email: estrauss@uwlax.edu
Fall 2010 | ![]() |
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Fall 2009 | ||
Fall 2008 | ||
Fall 2007 |