A. History of the science
1. Definition and meaning of limnology
2. Early studies
a. F.A. Forel
b. E.A. Birge
c. S.A. Forbes
B. Water as a substance
1. Molecular structure
2. Properties
a. Surface tension
b. Adhesion
and cohesion
c. Density
d. Mass
e. Specific
heat
C. Lentic Ecosystems
1. Origin of lake basins
a. Tectonic
b. Volcanic
c. Glaciation
d. Solution
basins
e. Wind origin
f. Stream action
g. Landslides
h. Organic origin
i. Shoreline
activity
j. Meteoric
origin
k. Unknown origin
2. Geomorphology of lake basins
a. Geometrically
shaped basins
(1) Circular
(2) Elliptical
(3) Subrectangular
(4) Dendritic
(5) Lunate
(6) Triangular
b. Irregular
basins
3. Cryptodepressions
4. Morphometric parameters of lakes
a. Length
b. Breadth
c. Mean breadth
d. Area
e. Volume
f. Maximum depth
g. Mean depth
h. Extent and
development of shoreline
i. Hypsographic
curves
5. Lake mapping
6. Origin of lake water
a. Precipitation
and runoff
b. Groundwater
seepage
c. Open and
closed lakes
7. Solar radiation in lakes
a. Transmission
and absorption of light by water
(1) Vertical coefficient of extinction
(2) Attenuation and absorption
(3) Extinction curves
(4) Relationship between ZSD and Nt
b. Lake zonation
relative to light
c. Lake zonation
relative to photosynthetic activity
8. Color and turbidity in lakes
a. Color (true
& apparent)
b. Dissolved
and suspended substances
c. Plankton
d. Relationship
between color and productivity
e. Color scales
for measuring true color
f. Transparency
and turbidity
(1) Allochthonous and autochthonous turbidity
(2) Measuring transparency and turbidity
(a) Secchi disk
(b) Jackson candle turbidimeter
(c) Absorptometric method
(d) USGS turbidity rod
(e) Nephelometric method
9. Thermal relationships in lakes
a. Summer stratification
(1) Epilimnion
(2) Metalimnion
(3) Hypolimnion
b. Fall overturn
c. Winter stratification
d. Spring overturn
e. Classification
based on thermal features and circulation
(1) Amictic
(2) Cold monomictic
(3) Warm monomictic
(4) Dimictic
(5) Oligomictic
(6) Polymictic
10. Holomictic vs meromictic lakes
11. Water movements in lakes
a. Periodic
current systems
(1) Tides
(2) Seiches
(3) Surface waves
b. Nonperiodic
current systems
(1) Vertical currents
(2) Horizontal currents
(3) Returning currents
(4) Density currents
12. Shore dynamics
13. Dissolved gasses in lakes
a. Oxygen
(1) Sources
(2) Effects of atmospheric and hydrostatic pressure
(3) Effects of salinity on solubility
(4) Distribution of oxygen in lakes
(a) Orthograde oxygen profile
(b) Clinograde oxygen profile
(c) Positive heterograde
(d) Negative heterograde
(5) Measurement of dissolved oxygen
(a) Chemical determination
(b) Electrometric oxygen analysis
(6) REDOX potential
b. Carbon dioxide
(1) Importance in water
(2) Sources in water
(3) Occurrence in lakes
(4) Relation to alkalinity and pH
c. Methane and
hydrogen sulfide
d. Nitrogen
gas
e. Ammonia
f. Hydrogen
gas
14. Major ions in inland waters
a. Ionic composition
of surface waters
d. Total dissolved
solids and specific conductance
c. Salinity
(total composition of ionic components)
d. Salinity
versus chlorinity
e. Carbonate
f. Sulfate
g. Chloride
h. Calcium,
magnesium and the concept of hardness
i. Sodium and
potassium
j. Iron
k. Manganese
l. Phosphorus
(phosphate)
m. Nitrogen
(nitrite, nitrate)
n. Silica
15. Dissolved organic substances
a. Humic substances
b. Vitamins
D. The freshwater biota, habitats, and communities
1. The plankton community
a. Classification
(1) Based on quality
(2) Based on size
(3) Based on origin
(4) Based on life history
b. Plankton
distribution
(1) Causes for lack of uniformity
(2) Vertical distribution
(a) Phytoplankton
(b) Zooplankton
c. Seasonal
changes in body form (cyclomorphosis)
d. Modes of
nutrition
e. Phytoplankton
(1) Cyanobacteria
(2) Chlorophyta
(3) Phytoflagellates (euglenoids, volvocines, dinoflagellates)
(4) Diatoms
f. Zooplankton
(1) Protozoa
(2) Rotifers
(3) Crustacean zooplankton
2. Benthic communities
a. Classification
based on habitat
b. Classification
based on size
c. Aquatic succession
d. Littoral
communities
(1) Macrophytes (zonation)
(a) Emergent macrophytes
(b) Floating macrophytes
(c) Submerged macrophytes
(2) Zoobenthos
(a) Porifera
(b) Cnidaria
(c) Platyhelminthes
(d) Nematoda
(e) Nematomorpha
(f) Bryozoa
(g) Annelida
(h) Arthropoda
(i) Mollusca
e. Profundal
communities
f. Quantitative
benthos studies
(1) Sampling devices
(a) Ekman grab
(b) Peterson grab
(c) Ponar grab
(d) Smith-McIntyre grab
(e) VanVeen grab
(f) Core samplers
(g) Suber stream bottom sampler
(2) Factors influencing grab samples
(3) Processing and identifying benthos
(4) Artificial substrates
(5) Benthos data evaluation
3. The nekton community
a. Invertebrate
nekton
b. Vertebrate
nekton
(1) Features of interest in studying fish populations
(2) Sample collection (active and passive techniques)
(3) Sample analysis
E. Lotic ecosystems
1. Features of lotic habitats
2. Plankton
3. Plant growth in streams
4. Benthos
5. Adaptations to the lotic environment
6. Stream pollution
a. Introduction
of erosional products
b. Industrial
effluents and their effects
c. Organic loading
and its effects on streams
d. Methods of
estimating and measuring stream pollution
e. Organisms
as indicators of pollution
f. BOD measurements
7. Zonation in streams
8. Springs
a. Heterotrophic
springs
b. Autotrophic
springs