Courses

Biology 376

Ichthyology

Dr. Herman Eure
Office: Winston 12
email: eure@wfu.edu

From an evolutionary perspective all terrestrial vertebrate life owes its existence to fishes. Life originated in the ancient seas and our bodies still reflect that origin physiologically. Ichthyology is the study of the biology of fishes. A variety of fishes including some of the most grotesque denizens of the deep, the magnificently and brightly colored coral reef fishes, the highly efficient openwater predators - the sharks, the determined and athletic anadromous salmon that inhabit the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest and the evolutionary relic, the coelacanth are studied. The course is divided into four sections. The first section deals with the evolutionary history of the fishes, phylogeny, anatomy and morphology. The second section deals with the evolution of the various fish groups, their diversification, ecology, environments, habitats and adaptations. The third section examines the distribution patterns of fishes in marine and freshwater environments and the geophysical processes that govern distribution and migration. The fourth and final section examines the organ systems and those adaptations that allow fish to exist in an aquatic medium. Olfaction, vision, respiration, mechanosensory and electrosensory adaptions, gustation, excretion, and osmoregulation are discussed from a function perspective and with regard to how each contributes to the success of fishes. The course is taught every other year and includes a three-hour laboratory. The course is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Biology Department of Wake Forest University.
This page last updated on  Jan 12, 2003