COURSE UNIT TITLE

: FEEDING ECOLOGY OF FISHES

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
CDK 5022 FEEDING ECOLOGY OF FISHES ELECTIVE 2 0 0 7

Offered By

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EYÜP MÜMTAZ TIRAŞIN

Offered to

MARINE LIVING RESOURCES

Course Objective

The aim of the course is to explore the feeding biology and ecology of fishes in detail from the perspectives ranging from the individual fish to fish assemblages, with emphasis on fish foraging research. Trophic level concept, optimal foraging theory, various morphological adaptations, feeding variability, food partitioning, diet switches, models for measuring food consumption are some of the basic topics of the course.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Recognize the great diversity of food, feeding habits and strategies of teleost fishes.
2   Identify the importance of sensory organs in feeding ecology of teleost fishes.
3   Restate the theories proposed for fish foraging strategies.
4   Identify the need for research on food and feeding habits of fish for improvement of stock assessment and development of aquaculture.
5   Analyse stomach contents of fish and employ statistical measures to describe diet compositions of fish.
6   Demonstrate understanding of the models used to measure food consumption of fish.
7   Demonstrate an ability to design experiments or research surveys for fish feeding studies.
8   Interpret and discuss critically results from their own research work and/or that of other researchers.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction Course outline, textbook, references and assignments. General review of various important topics in feeding ecology of fishes.
2 Trophic Levels and Optimal Foraging Theory Trophic level concept, the scheme of trophic level and limitatitons in the trophic level diagram. Introduction to foraging theory. Elements of foraging models and constraints.
3 Morphological Adaptations for Feeding Body form. Mouth shape and position. Teeth and Gillrakers. Alimentary canal. The role of sense organs in feeding behaviour.
4 Feeding Variability Trophic Adaptability. Guild concept and competition. Generalists, specialists and opportunists.
5 Plant Eaters Plant-eating fish, fish as herbivores. Physical and chemical processing of ingested plants. Chemical feeding deterrents of marine algae.
6 Detritus Feeders Detritus feeders, the role of fish in the detritus food-web. Feeding strategies of detritus feeders. Alimentary Canal.
7 Plankton Predators Particulate feeding. Filter feeding. Larval feeding.
8 Midterm Exam
9 Benthic Predators Feeding strategies of benthic fish predators. Feeding territory. Impact of fish Predation on the benthic community.
10 Swimming Predators Fish that eat other fish, feeding strategies of predator fishes. Unusual source of food. Assignment presentations.
11 General Ecological Topics Food partitioning. Diet switching. Niche shift and predator risk. Assignment presentations.
12 Models for Measuring Food Consumption Evacuation Models. Bioenergetics Model. Estimating daily food consumption rate of fishes: An application with MAXIMS Model.
13 Methods for Studying Fish Feeding Based on Analysis of Stomach Contents Sampling methods and laboratory analysis. Quantitative description of the diet: Percentage measures and some common indices. Data analysis and interpretation, statistical methods.
14 Midterm Exam

Recomended or Required Reading

Textbook:

Gerking, S. D. 1994. Feeding ecology of fish. Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA, 416p.

Additional References:

Bowen, S. H. 1996. Fisheries techniques (2nd ed.). In B. R. Murphy and D. W. Willis (Eds.), Quantitative description of the diet. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, 513-532.
Cortés, E. 1997. A critical review of methods of studying fish feeding based on analysis of stomach contents: Application to Elasmobranch fishes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 726-738.
Hyslop, E. J. 1980. Stomach contents analysis: a review of methods and their application. J. of Fish Biol. 17: 411-429.
Richter, H., Focken, U. and Becker, K. 1999. A review of the fish feeding model MAXIMS. Ecol. Modelling. 120: 47-64.
Persson, L. 1986. Patterns of food evacuation in fishes: a critical review. Environ. Biol. Fishes. 16: 51-58.

Plus at least a dozen classical papers on the food and feeding habits of marine fish.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Course is taught in a lecture and discussion format. Additional elaboration and illustration will be provided for better comprehension. Individual participation by students in classroom discussions will be strongly encouraged.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE 1 MIDTERM EXAM 1
2 MTE 2 MIDTERM EXAM 2
3 ASG ASSIGNMENT
4 FIN FINAL EXAM
5 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE 1 + MTE 2 + ASG/3 * 0.60 + FIN * 0.40
6 RST RESIT
7 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE 1 + MTE 2 + ASG/3 * 0.60 + RST * 0.40


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

To be announced.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Regular attendance is essential for satisfactory completion of this course. If a student has excessive absences, she/he cannot develop to her/his fullest potential in the course.
2. The student is responsible is responsible completion for all the required reading planned for each week whether in attendance or not.
3. It is obligatory for all students to be involved in class discussions.
4. Student presentations must be carried out on the dates mutually agreed upon.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Dr. E. Mümtaz TIRAŞIN
Dokuz Eylül University, Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology,
Inciraltı 35340, Balçova - Izmir.
Phone:(+90) 232 2785565 /165
Fax: (+90) 232 2785082
E-mail: mumtaz.tirasin@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 12 2 24
Preparation for midterm exam 2 8 16
Preparing assignments 1 12 12
Preparation for final exam 1 15 15
Reading 11 5 55
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 10 4 40
Midterm 2 2 4
Final 1 4 4
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 170

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8
LO.141111111
LO.231111111
LO.331211111
LO.441421112
LO.541411112
LO.631211112
LO.753544213
LO.851545434

CONTACT INFORMATION
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Cumhuriyet Bulvarı No: 144 35210 Alsancak / İZMİR
Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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