Fish Biology (Diploma In Ichthyology)

The course is awarded and accredited by the Institute for Animal Care Education. On completion of the course, students will be eligible for full membership of the Institute.


Assessment
Assessment takes the form of basic questioning (30% of total mark) and report writing (70% of total mark). Students will be provided with guidance as to what is required in assessment. Assistance will be available from UK Open Learning via telephone or e-mail

Learning Outcomes

Lesson 1.

To enable the student to appreciate the theories surrounding the emergence of animal life.

To explain the order of the early fish groups.

To understand basic fish distribution with regard to marine and freshwater systems and appreciate why this patterns occurs.

To understand speciation and its contribution to diversity.

To appreciate the rudimentary physical properties of water and air. 

Lesson 2

Appreciate modern forms of jawless fish.

Understand the two divisions of the chondrichthyes.

Appreciate factors affecting the extinction of the Ostracoderms.

To understand that the Acanthodians once existed and when they existed.

To understand certain aspects of modern shark diversity.

To appreciate the existence of the lobe finned fish.

To understand that swim bladder development was a major key in Ostiechthian evolution.

Lesson 3.

To understand that buoyancy is controlled in a variety of ways.

To appreciate how fin design can aid buoyancy control.

To understand that dense substances are utilised in certain fish to control buoyancy.

To appreciate that buoyancy control is a major contributor to fish diversity.

To appreciate how some Osteichthyes have physoclistous and some have physostomous swim bladders.

To understand the differences between the two swim bladder types.

To appreciate that fish that swim deeply need physoclistous swim bladders and to understand why.

To fully appreciate the diversity of bony fish and the relevance of the swim bladder in the creation of such diversity.

Module 2.

Lesson 4.

To appreciate that pheromone ‘communication’ is used by many fish and appreciates what pheromones are used for.

To understand the term ‘fear scents’.

To appreciate the role of anti predator communication in fish biology.

To understand how colouration is utilised in communication.

To understand how schooling and colouration interact.

To understand the role of eyespots in fish defence.

To appreciate the way that stripes effect fish communication and survival.

Lesson 5.

Appreciate the role of recombination in creating diversity. 

To appreciate the diversity of fish reproduction via Balons classification.

To understand the diversity of parental care.

To appreciate the factors and theories regarding which sex takes care of the young.

To understand the term fecundity.

To appreciate and understand examples of the diversity of fish reproduction.

Lesson 6.

To enable the student to appreciate that some fish are able to orient to an electric field.

To appreciate why fish often have separate juvenile and adult habitats.

To understand the terms amphidromy, catadromy, diadromy, anadromy and oceanodromy.

To appreciate that scent navigation occurs in some fish migration.

Module 3.

Lesson 7.      

To appreciate the relevance of gill filament thickness.

To enable the student to understand the gill ventilation process.

To appreciate ram gill ventilation.

To understand the adaptive advantages of cutaneous gas exchange.

To understand the anatomy of gills.

Lesson 8.

To understand the terms benthopelagic, bathypelagic and mesopelagic.

To appreciate the different qualities of the marine polar environment.

Understand nototheniod fish adaptation.

To appreciate the benthic zone and the pressures put on fish that exist in such an environment.

Appreciate the term endemic.

Lesson 9.

To understand the basic anatomy of fish.

To appreciate electro reception as a hunting and environmental monitoring adaptation.

To enable the student to understand the basics of fish hearing.

To understand the basic anatomy and physiology of the lateral line system.