MASTER OF SCIENCE TROPICAL HYDROBIOLOGY AND FISHERIES (MTHBF)
| Module Code | Module Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MTHBF501 | Research Methods | What is research: Why do research, The scientific method, Ethics in science. The research process: Problem definition and selection, Problem analysis, Study plan. The research proposal: Guidelines for writing a proposal, Planning the research, Site selection, Sampling units, Replication. Data collection: Primary and secondary data, Sources of data. Statistical and data management software: Overview of software, Choice of appropriate package, Data entry and data management. Sampling: Random number tables, Simple random sampling, Stratified random sampling, Systematic sampling, Quadrat sampling. Surveys: Planning a survey, Types of surveys, Phases of a survey, How to sample, Questionnaire design, Implementing a survey, Data management, Tabulation and further data analysis, Reporting. Modelling: Multiple linear regression, Model checking and dealing with deviations from model assumptions, General linear models, Model checking and dealing with deviations from model assumptions, comparison of means, Introduction to REML, Introduction to generalised linear models. Simple time series models: Time series plots, Components of a time series, Smoothing. Analysis of distribution of free data (non-parametrics): Ranked data, Scores, Alternative methods of data analysis. Multivariate methods: Cluster methods, Principle component analysis, Discriminant analysis, Factor analysis. Presentation of research: Logging of data entry,Validation and analysis, Data presentation, Graphs and diagrams, Report writing. |
| MTHBF502 | Tropical Limnology |
This course will cover African limnology, giving emphasis on the differences between tropical and temperate systems. It will focus on the major inland water ecosystems of Africa, such as the major rivers and floodplains, the Great Lakes and man-made ecosystems. Other ecosystems such as temporary waters, saline lakes and crater lakes will be considered. The students will be expected to know the major developments in African limnology in general and Zimbabwean limnology in particular. It will deal with limnological processes in African inland ecosystems. In rivers, this includes patterns of flooding and seasonal change, in lakes it includes the physico-chemical processes that lead to seasonal stratification and nutrient cycling. It will also deal with the biota and communities of inland waters, such as the benthos, the plankton and macrophytes (fish are not included, except when considering their impacts on these communities). Topics to be covered include the structure and composition of these communities and the factors that determine their structure and variation. |
| MTHBF503 | Fish Biology | The course is designed to provide the students with a basic introduction to ichthyology. Special emphasis is given to African fishes in general and Zimbabwean fishes in particular. Topics covered include; evolution, systematics, biogeography, fish anatomy and morphology. Students will learn how to determine and investigate processes such as growth, feeding habits, and reproduction and to understand their importance in the lives of fish. The nature of fish communities in the major inland water ecosystems of Africa (rivers and floodplains, Great Lakes and man-made lakes) as well as specialised systems such as temporary waters will be covered. The evolution, composition and seasonal changes of these communities are of special importance in terms of sustainable management and the students should have a good understanding of the processes that control African fish communities. |
| MTHBF504 | Applied Aquatic Ecology | This course will introduce the students to aspects resource management that require a good understanding of basic ecological principles. The two major aspects concern water pollution and fish production. The ecology of water pollution and its effects on aquatic systems is covered by this course. Topics to be covered include the impact of organic and inorganic pollution on the biota of rivers and lakes, and the consequences of nutrient enrichment (eutrophication). The students will also be taught the basic techniques of pollution assessment such as biomonitoring and the basics of ecotoxicology. This course will include; fish health and parasitology; disease monitoring and epidemiology in wild fish and cultured populations. Aspects of histopathology and disease management will also be covered. What is taught in this block will be linked to how water pollution increases the risk of disease transmission in water both in fish and in humans. |
| MTHBF505 | Conservation of Aquatic Resources | This course considers the management of water and water resources on a wider scale using a multidisciplinary approach. It will provide an introduction to hydrology and the management of water resources; water demand and its impact on human communities; the impacts of human activities; catchment management; climate change. The course also covers various issues in management of aquatic ecosystems and the conservation of aquatic biodiversity. The problems of conservation and threats to biodiversity, especially in Africa, will be considered along with their possible solutions. The concept of integrated catchment management will be introduced as a basis for the management of aquatic ecosystems. |
| MTHBF506 | Fisheries biology and management | The module deals with capture fisheries and aquaculture. It introduces the students to the fisheries concept and the principles of stock assessment, focusing on fisheries models, their interpretations and applications in fisheries management. It will expose students to the current methods used in fisheries assessments, fishery production and management. It will also include the nature of fisheries resources; the different types of fishing gear and methods; an introduction to fish population dynamics by examining distribution and abundance, size relationships, selectivity of fishing gear, growth, reproduction & recruitment, mortality and life history patterns; the concept of yield; and monitoring. This module will introduce the basic principles of fish farming and aquaculture systems, including the selection of suitable species, economic factors and management principles. The challenges of developing sustainable aquaculture systems will also be covered and solutions to the problem of this industry in Africa. |
| MTHBF507 | Geographic Information Systems | Aquatic systems are spatially situated within a terrestrial and knowledge of geographical information systems is now indispensable for aquatic scientists. Geographic Information System (GIS) is important for Environmental Planning and evidenced based Policy formulation because of its capacity to analyze spatially referenced environmental data to produce place specific environmental information. The primary goal of this course is to teach students the science behind GIS, as well as the applications of GIS. Course content will include the following topics: Introduction to GIS; Conceptual models of geographical phenomena; Coordinate systems and projections; Spatial data sources, georeferencing & spatial data capture; Global Positioning Systems (GPS); Database Management Systems (DBMS); Spatial data analysis and a GIS project |
| MTHBF508 | Remote Sensing | Remote sensing commonly referred to as Earth Observation science is the science of obtaining information about the earth’s surface from either the air or space is important for Environmental Planning and evidence based Policy formulation because of its to view the Earth at several electromagnetic wavelengths not observable from the human senses, as well as doing so at large spatial extents. The primary goal of this course is to teach students the science remote sensing, as well as its applications to the understanding of environmental and earth system processes. This knowledge is now vital to the study of aquatic systems in areas of water quality, quantity and trophic status. Course content will include the following topics: Introduction to remote sensing; The electromagnetic spectrum; EM interaction with Earth surface materials; Image acquisition and structure; Sources and correction of radiometric and geometric distortion; Spatial image enhancement; Supervised image classification techniques; Unsupervised image classification techniques; Multispectral transformations of image data and Applications of remote monitoring. |
| MTHBF570 | Research Project/Dissertation | This module seeks to consolidate and enable students to practically apply research techniques they would have learnt throughout the course. This module allows students to demonstrate different research skills such as: writing styles and skills (grammatical errors, formats and logical writing), individual approach to a research project (originality and ability to identify viable research questions), usage and critique of literature to justify necessity of proposed research, identification and recruitment of data sources, data collection tools and techniques including consideration of research ethics, analytic skills and interpretation of data, time management and responsibility. |