Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Ecology of Aquatic Habitats and Fish: Interactions and Dynamics

In course

ENV-418: River eco-morphodynamics and bioengineering

The course deals with the interactions between hydraulics, solid transport by hauling and the watercourse space at the origin of the morphology and richness of habitats. Regime theory is presented and the quality of a stream's habitat is assessed. ...

Description

This lecture by the instructor Christine Weber discusses the ecology of aquatic habitats and fish, focusing on the interactions between river morphology and organisms. Topics include the diversity of fish, invertebrates, and their preferences, dynamics of rivers influenced by discharge and sediments, and the importance of connectivity. The lecture also covers the impact of human activities on river ecosystems, such as habitat degradation and the consequences of impaired river morphology.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Fish

A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animal that lacks limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of living fish species are ray-finned fish, belonging to the class Actinopterygii, with around 99% of those being teleosts. The earliest organisms that can be classified as fish were soft-bodied chordates that first appeared during the Cambrian period.

Glow discharge

A glow discharge is a plasma formed by the passage of electric current through a gas. It is often created by applying a voltage between two electrodes in a glass tube containing a low-pressure gas. When the voltage exceeds a value called the striking voltage, the gas ionization becomes self-sustaining, and the tube glows with a colored light. The color depends on the gas used. Glow discharges are used as a source of light in devices such as neon lights, cold cathode fluorescent lamps and plasma-screen televisions.

Invertebrate

Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a backbone or spine), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate subphylum Vertebrata. Familiar examples of invertebrates include arthropods, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms and cnidarians. The majority of animal species are invertebrates; one estimate puts the figure at 97%. Many invertebrate taxa have a greater number and variety of species than the entire subphylum of Vertebrata.

Evolution of fish

The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fish lineages belong to the Agnatha, or jawless fish. Early examples include Haikouichthys. During the late Cambrian, eel-like jawless fish called the conodonts, and small mostly armoured fish known as ostracoderms, first appeared.

Ecosystem

An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present.

Related lectures (36)

Biodiversity and the Living Planet Index: Global Trends

Covers the Living Planet Index and its role in tracking global biodiversity trends and threats.

Ecological Research: Madagascar to Colombia

Explores an ecologist's journey from Madagascar to Colombia, covering peatlands, soil restoration, and oil palm plantations.

Climate Change: Understanding Trends and System Structures

Examines the relationship between climate change events and underlying trends, emphasizing the importance of understanding system structures and feedback loops.

Biodiversity and Infrastructure: Eco-services MOOC: Building expertise on developing sustainable and resilient infrastructure

Delves into biodiversity, ecosystem services, economic valuation, and sustainable infrastructure policies.

Climate Change: Impacts and Urban Adaptation Strategies