Coursemaster: Andrew Kane, Ph.D.
(352) 273-9090; kane@ufl.edu
Water Biology
PHC 6937; Section 4858
Mondays (1:55 - 4:55 PM)
Office hours: by appointment
Building 1379 - Aquatic Pathobiology Laboratory
[Class Handouts] [Journal Article Reviews] [Student Presentations]
Overview:
This team-taught course will provide an overview of aquatic resources including oceans, estuaries, rivers, lakes, streams and ponds, with focus on respective biotic communities and environmental health. We will address the physical and chemical nature of water, and the hydrologic cycle in order to understand water and land usage, and effects of various types of contamination in different ecosystems. The course will provide a taxonomic and ecological summary of aquatic biota, from algae and invertebrates to vertebrates and pathogens. A case study approach will be used to provide resources pertaining to contaminant input, other anthropogenic activities, harmful algae, and changes in the environment such as climate change. Biotic indices of environmental change, including application of bioindicators, will be discussed and evaluated relative to both environmental and human health.
Students are expected to be on time, and attend and participate in all classes. Each student is required to lead a critical discussion of a journal article at least once during the semester. Each student is also required to give an oral presentation on an assigned/approved topic. The approved topic will focus on some aspect of aquatic environmental health. A PowerPoint “notes” presentation on the same topic will also be developed and submitted by the student as the written component of this assignment.
Learning objectives:
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- Describe the different types of aquatic environments and respective biota;
- Discuss outcomes, in a broad sense, of natural and anthropogenically-derived environmental change on aquatic systems;
- Describe sources and understand mechanisms of infection for various waterborne diseases;
- Describe a variety of contaminants that can enter aquatic systems and understand the mechanism by which a variety of biota may be affected;
- Describe the legal and regulatory framework that govern water pollution
- Describe biological and water quality factors that influence environmental exposure, uptake and toxicity to aquatic organisms;
- Critically review scientific literature pertinent to aquatic biology and environmental health; and
- Organize and present well-synthesized scientific discussions on topics relevant to aquatic biology and environmental health.
Course materials:
Handouts for lectures, and other reading and review materials will be distributed via the course website (http://epi.ufl.edu/aquaticpath/waterbiology) or will be provided in class.
Course requirements and grading:
Grades will be based on class participation and discussions (10%), the critical discussion of a journal article (10%), a midterm (25%) and a final (25%) exam, and both an oral and written presentation of an assigned topic on aquatic environmental health (30%).
Topical Outline:
This outline will take into account weather conditions related to scheduled field trips and may also shift to accommodate lectures provided by the different experts contributing to the course. Nevertheless, the tentative outline is as follows:
| Week 1 | January 11 | Introduction, policies, assignments; physical & chemical nature of water; water quality; water systems |
| Week 2 | January 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day - no class |
| Week 3 | January 25 | Hydrogeology of watersheds, wetlands, groundwater contamination; Overview of aquatic biota |
| Week 4 | February 1 | Aquatic entomology; Mosquito- and other vectorborne diseases; Fish diversity & anatomical/physiological adaptations; Aquati Stressors |
| Week 5 | February 8 | Field trip: Natural Area Teaching Lab |
| Week 6 | February 15 | Guidelines for journal article review, and oral & written presentations; Introduction to aquatic toxicology |
| Week 7 | February 22 | Toxicity of metals & pesticides |
| Week 8 | March 1 | Biomarkers; midterm exam |
| Week 9 | March 8 | Spring break-no class |
| Week 10 | March 15 | Endocrine disruption; Aquatic microbiology; Case study |
| Week 11 | March 22 | Aquatic reptiles, birds and mammals |
| Week 12 | March 29 | Student journal article summaries |
| Week 13 | April 5 | Environmental vibrios |
| Week 14 | April 12 | Waterborne disease case studies |
| Week 15 | April 19 | Student presentations |
Final exam will take place April 26th, Week 16, in the classroom - regular class meeting time.
Physical and chemical aspects of water:
Water Quality Factors (class PPT presentation, Dr. Andy Kane )
Physical properties of water (from Stryer's Biochemistry, 1981, and other handouts for discussion)
Oxygen and temperature (abridged from Lakewatch circular 109)
Water Resource Sustainability, Groundwater Hydrology & Contamination (class PPT presentation, Dr. Jim Jawitz)
Who's who in the water:
Algae, Vascular plants and HABs (class PPT presentation, Dr. Andy Kane)
Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ref link)
Cyanobacteria (ref link)
Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (ref link)
Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisioning (ref link)
Paralytic Shellfish Poisioning (ref link)
Marine Toxins FAQs (link to CDC)
Microcystin blooms: a global public health problem (de Figueiredo et al. 2004 - pdf)
Pseudo-nitzschia blooms along California coast affect marine life (link to NOAA)
Dinoflagellate neurotoxins: a review (Wang 2008 - pdf)
Aquatic Entomology and Biocontrol (class PPT presentation, Dr. Jim Cuda)
Diseases Associated with Waterborne Vectors (class PPT presentation, Dr. Bernard Okech)
Fish Diversity, Aquatic Adaptations & Environmental Stress (class PPT presentation, Dr. Andy Kane)
Avian Diversity, Wetlands & Wildlife Health (class PPT presentation, Dr. Marilyn Spalding)
Environmental Health of Amphibian and Reptiles (class PPT presentation, Dr. Brian Stacy)
Aquatic & Marine Mamals and their Environment (class PPT presentation, Dr. Mike Walsh)
Intro Toxicology Principles (class PPT presentation, Dr. Andy Kane)
EPA Methods for Estimating Chronic Toxicity to Marine and Estuarine Organisms (reference from class discussion)
EPA Methods for Estimating Chronic Toxicity to Freshwater Organisms (reference from class discussion)
EPA Methods for Estimating Acute Toxicity to Freshwater & Marine Organisms (reference from class discussion)
EPA CERCLA Document (reference from class discussion)
EPA Toxic Substance Control Act (reference from class discussion)
EPA FIFRA Document (reference from class discussion)
EPA Clean Water Act (reference from class discussion)
Toxicology of Metals (class PPT presentation, Dr. David Barber)
Toxicology of Pesticides (class PPT presentation, Dr. David Barber)
Biomarkers of exposure, effect & susceptibility (class PPT presentation, Dr. David Barber)
Scientific Communications (class PPT presentation with expections for student presentation assignment, Dr. Andy Kane)
Natural Area Teaching Lab: Field trip photos (coming soon! email yours to kane@ufl.edu, if you have good ones to share!)
Journal article review assignments
The journal articles, to be linked below, will be assigned for all in the class to read. All should read and be prepared to participate in discussion. Students will be assigned to present each of the respective articles and will lead the discussion on their articles. Presentations should include background relating to the published article, including a problem statement(s), the expertise of the author(s), the research approach and the methods used, research findings (data summary) and conclusions drawn by the author(s). Presentations should also provide comments relevant to the merits or any questions regarding the research (reference to additional/outside reference materials may be required). Use of PowerPoint to provide visuals from the article or from other references is encouraged, as needed. The formal portion of the presentation should last approximately 15 minutes. After the presentation, the presenter will entertain questions and discussion from the class.
PRESENTERS |
ASSIGNED ARTICLES |
PRESENTATION DATE |
Meow |
Distribution of total mercury and methyl mercury in water, sediment, and fish from South Florida estuaries (Kannan et al. 1998) | March 29, 2009 |
Griffin |
A re-examination of variation associated with environmentally stress organisms (Orlando and Guillette 2001) | March 29, 2009 |
Lisa |
Contamination of drinking-water by arsenic in Bangladesh: A public health emergency (Smith et al. 2000) |
March 29, 2009 |
Ngozi |
Climate change and human health: present and future risks (McMichael et al. 2006) and (Epstein 2005) | March 29, 2009 |
Beata |
Waterborne outbreaks reported in the United States (Craun et al. 2006) | March 29, 2009 |
Ameera |
The Cabot Koppers Superfund site (Class handout) |
March 23, 2009 |
Rod |
Environmental health: For the rich or for all? (Smith 2000) |
March 22, 2009 |
Students will choose topics germane to water biology and public health to present to the class. The content development of these presentations is in important part of the course, and complement lectures and discussions lead by Dr. Kane and guest lecturers with expertise in a variety of related disciplines. This assignment also provides an important opportunity to develop well-organized scientific presentations. Please refer to the handout on Scientific Communications for a review of our class discussion on developing PowerPoint-aided presentations.
Gameplan: Presentations are expected to take 25-30 minutes, with no more than 20 minutes for the formal presentation and 5-10 minutes for class questions and discussion. Please take advantage of the full time slot without going over the time limit. Students are expected to provide an emailed draft of their presentation a minimum of two weeks prior to their presentation date for review and comments. Students will make appointments to go over the draft materials in person with Dr. Kane. Additional time slots may be required and/or requested, so please provide the draft material as soon as possible. Remember that a notable percentage of the course grade is based on these presentations (both the class presentation as well as the PowerPoint "notes" version).
Statement of University's Honesty Policy (cheating and use of copyrighted materials):
All students are expected to abide by the University of Florida’s honor code and code of conduct. Cheating, lying, misrepresentation, or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and inexcusable behavior, Information pertaining to these codes can be viewed via the two website below, respectively:
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcode.php
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/studentguide/studentconductcode.php
Policy related to class attendance, make-up exams and other work:
Students are expected to attend and be prepared to participate in all class sessions. Personal issues with respect to class attendance or fulfillment of course requirements will be handled on an individual basis.
Statement Related to Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you require classroom accommodation because of a disability, you must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://oss.ufl.edu/). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to you, which you then give to the instructor when requesting accommodation. The College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to assist students in their coursework.
Counseling and Student Health
Students may occasionally have personal issues that arise in the course of pursuing higher education or that may interfere with their academic performance. If you find yourself facing problems affecting your coursework, you are encouraged to talk with an instructor and to seek confidential assistance at the University of Florida Counseling Center, 352-392-1575, or Student Mental Health Services, 352-392-1171. Visit their web sites for more information: http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/ or http://shcc.ufl.edu/
The Student Health Care Center at Shands is a satellite clinic of the main Student Health Care Center located on Fletcher Drive on campus. Student Health at Shands offers a variety of clinical services, including primary care, women's health care, immunizations, mental health care, and pharmacy services. The clinic is located on the second floor of the Dental Tower in the Health Science Center. For more information, contact the clinic at 392-0627 or check out the web site at: www.health.ufl.edu/shcc
Crisis intervention is always available 24/7 from:
Alachua County Crisis Center: (352) 264-6789.
BUT – Do not wait until you reach a crisis to speak with a councelor. Councelors have helped many students through stressful situations impacting their academic performance. You are not alone so do not be afraid to ask for assistance.