Fishes

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Fishes
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Learning Objectives

• You should be able to
• Describe why fish diversity is so high relative
  to other vertebrate groups
• Identify morphological characteristics of fishes
  that provide insight on their ecology

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Vertebrate Diversity

• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Fish

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Vertebrate Diversity
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Why?
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Why?
0.0093 water volume
97 water volume
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Why?
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Diversity of Habitats

• Almost every type of aquatic habitat
• From waters below freezing to hot springs gt104ºF

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miles
8840 m
Km
4572 m
Vertical Distribution of Fishes
Elevation 457 m 1646 m deep
1189 m
10,912 m
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Morphological Diversity
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Morphology Ecology !!

• Morphology
• Ecology

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Things to Watch For

• Body shape
• Fin location, size, and shape
• Mouth position
• Mouth characteristics (e.g., lips, teeth)
• Gill rakers and pharyngeal teeth
• Other parts and pieces
• Some internal
• Some external

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Body Shapes

• Depressiform
• Compressiform
• Fusiform
• Anguilliform
• Sagittiform

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Mouth Position

• Superiorpoints
• Terminalpoints
• Subterminalpoints
• Inferiorpoints

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Tail Shape

• Forked
• Rounded
• Truncate (square)
• Lunate

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Mouth Characteristics

• Fleshy?
• Bony?
• Presence, location, and orientation of teeth

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Gill Rakers and Pharyngeal Teeth

• Gill rakers
• Shape
• Length

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Gill Rakers and Pharyngeal Teeth

• Pharyngeal teeth

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Other things to watch for
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(No Transcript)
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What can you tell me about the ecology of this
fish?
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Iowa Fishes

• native orders
• native families
• native species
• nonnative fishes