This course will deal with life in the open sea and will examine plankton and their distribution and vertical migration of zooplankton. The nekton represented by cephalopods, fishes, birds, reptiles and mammals shall be studied for aspects of their biology.
The ocean and marginal seas shall be described. Also to be described are the topography and structure of the ocean floor, general properties of seawater, and the patterns and causes of circulation in the open sea. The effect of seawater density and deep circulation will be discussed. The nature of waves and the shoreline tides will be described as well as coral reef biodiversity and productivity.
The nature of lakes, rivers and catchment areas will be described; the processes leading to formation of lakes, and lake morphometry shall also be described. The vertical illumination of water bodies and extinction coefficient will be explained as well as the description of temperature stratification and its effects on the distribution of organisms. Roles of sediment in deep and shallow lakes, depth in the distribution of communities in a lake or river shall be discussed. The course will also discuss lake fertility and hypolimnetic oxygen depletion. This course shall also examine the diversity and functions of plankton, neuston, nekton, and benthos in freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater macrophytes and associated invertebrates, and weed-bed communities, e.g. epiphytic algae and bacteria will be studied.
Students will undertake a field and or laboratory research project in any aspect of fisheries science and present a thesis. It is also required that students make at least two seminar presentations during the research and thesis preparation, as well as an oral defense of the thesis.
Students will undertake a field and or laboratory research project in any aspect of fisheries science and present a thesis. It is also required that students make at least two seminar presentations during the research and thesis preparation, as well as an oral defense of the thesis.
Students will be required to read current research papers in various aspects of oceanography and limnology, paying particular attention to the methodology, presentation of results and discussions. Students would give talks on the papers at seminars.
Water sampling methods and determination of some physico-chemical parameters of aquatic habitats shall be dealt with; sampling and enumeration of plankton and plankton productivity, using the “light and dark” bottle method, chlorophyll-a concentration and biomass estimates will be studied. Sampling of benthos and determination of productivity of benthic faunal populations using the removal-summation, instantaneous growth, Allen curve, and Hynes methods will be studied. Analysis of substrate particle size would also be carried out.
Students are required to undertake a field and/or laboratory research project in any aspect of aquaculture and present a thesis thereafter. It is also required that students make at least two seminar presentations during the research and thesis preparation, as well as an oral defense of the thesis.
The course will discuss the sources of aquatic pollution. Toxic substances and oil pollution will be discussed. Nutrient input and eutrophication, and thermal pollution shall be highlighted. The course would also discuss global environmental change and the ocean.
Students are required to read research papers on current developments in aquaculture, paying particular attention to the methodology, presentation of results and discussions. The course offers students the opportunity to present seminars on the reading materials. Statistical packages used in contemporary research, and scientific writing will be discussed.
