Aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity (146061)

Students acquire knowledge on the biological and ecological diversity of marine and inland waters, on the ways of their endangerment and on the conservation measures.

• Lectures
• Laboratory practice/exercises
  Analyses of sampled material
• Field work
  Sampling of aquatic organisms and water
• Seminars
  Independent student group sampling, laboratory analysing, literature searching, writing and presenting specified case study

Teachers' obligations

Regular maintenance of all forms of teaching. The time for consultations out of lectures.

Students' obligations

Regular attending at classes and performing assigned tasks.

1. Habitat changes. Aquatic ecosystems L - Geologic and climatic changes; Changes of freshwater and marine habitats. Basic characteristics of different aquatic ecosystems.
2. Aquatic ecosystems L - Basic characteristics of different aquatic ecosystems.
3. Aquatic ecosystems. Habitat – biodiversity relationship. L - Basic characteristics of different aquatic ecosystems. Habitats in marine and fresh waters and their influence on the biodiversity; Reasons for endangering of biodiversity and ways of its protection; Speciation. Energy and productivity.
4. Molecular biology evolution. Molecular biology investigations L - Molecular biology evolution of aquatic organisms. Molecular biology investigation of aquatic organisms.
5. Aquatic plants and lower organisms L - Overview of important taxons of plants and lower organisms.
6. Freshwater invertebrates L - Overview of freshwater invertebrate animal phyla, with special emphasis on important freshwater taxons.
7. Freshwater invertebrates. Marine invertebrates. L - Overview of freshwater invertebrate animal phyla, with special emphasis on important freshwater taxons. Overview of marine ivertebrates, with special emphasis on important marine taxons.
8. Marine invertebrates L - Overview of marine ivertebrates, with special emphasis on important marine taxons.
9. Aquatic vertebrates L - Overview of aquatic vertebrates, with special emphasis on important marine and freshwater taxons.
10. Fish biology and ecology L - Basics of fish biology and ecology
11. Bases searching and communication Pe-L - Searching for scientific literature by internet and scientific bases. Presentation of seminars by internet.
12. Seminar S - Equipment and methods for sampling of water organisms.
13. Field Work F - Sampling of plankton, benthos and fish.
14. Laboratory Practice I Lab - Plankton and benthos analyses.
15. Laboratory Practice II Lab - Fish analyses.

1. Sumich J. L. (1992): An Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life. WCB, Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque
2. Needham J. G., Paul R. (1988): A Guide to the Study of Fresh-Water Biology. McGraw-Hill, Boston
3. Moyle P. B., Cech J. J. (2004): Fishes: an introduction to ichthyology. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
4. Sparre, P., Venema S. C. (1992): Introduction to tropical fish stock assessment. Part 1-Manual. FAO, Fish Tech. Pap., 306/1, 110 pp

1. Riedl R. (1963): Fauna und Flora der Adria. Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg und Berlin
2. Kottelat, M, Freyhof J. (2007): Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes. Kottelat, Cornol, Switzerland and Freyhof, Berlin, Germany
3. Stiassny M. L. J., Parenti L. R., Johnson G. D. (eds), (1996): Interrilationships of Fishes. Academic Press, San Diego

• Applied Hydrobiology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic
• Biologija mora. Sveučilište u Dubrovniku
• Ecology and Biodiversity, Marine and Freshwater Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia