Dan Fisher

Final Exam Review

Aquatic Biology

Use your notes to answer completely the following questions. This information will in
some part be on the final exam. The worksheet must be completed for me to grade your
final.

1. What is Algae?
A plant that grows in the bottom of bodies of water and produces oxygen.

2. What is an invertebrate and give an example?

An invertebrate is an organism lacking a backbone ex: Trout

3. What are the 8 characteristics of Macroinvertebrates?

The eight characteristics of macroinvertebrates are that they are relatively
immobile, reflect water quality, most of life cycle is spent in the benthic region,
important in aquatic food web, live a year or more underwater, sensitive to
water quality, most stream collection involves nymph and pupa stages, and most
transition into flying insects.

4. What are the 3 body regions of an insect?

The head, thorax, and abdomen

5. What are the four major insect orders found in streams and lakes?
The four major insect orders are mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and midges

6. What is metamorphosis and how is this process related to a trout’s feeding habits?
Metamorphosis is the change in form and structure that all aquatic insects go
through. The trout behavior when feeding can indicate the stage of the life cycle
the insect is going through.

7. How many tails do mayflies have?

Three

8. What is the life cycle of a mayfly?

Egg, nymph, dun, spinner

9. What is an instar?
It is a developmental stage in insects between each moult until sexual maturity is
reached

10. What is a Dun?

A mature nymph that swims to surface and changes into a winged fly
11. What is a spinner?
When the dun rests for a few days it molts into a spinner and this is when they
reproduce

12. Describe the position of the wings in mayflies, caddis flies and stoneflies.
Mayflies have 2 large upright wings, and 2 small hind wings. Caddis flies have 4
wings in the shape of a V. Stoneflies have wings that lie flat on their back.

13. What is the life cycle of the caddis fly?

Egg, larvae, pupa, adult

14. How do you recognize a stonefly nymph?

They have very flat bodies and 3 very visible wing pads

15. Although there are many variations, what are the 3 main species of trout in the US?
Rainbow, brown, and brook

16. What are vermiculations and what species of trout has them?
Wavy lines on the brook trout that resemble worm tracks

17. What is a Kype and what does it indicate?

A hooked portion of the lower jaw, it identifies males

18. What is the operculum?

The external gill cover

19. What is the function of the lateral line?

It helps them navigate, look for prey, avoid predators and helps with schooling

20. What is the biggest fin on the trout and what is it used for?
The caudal fin is the biggest and the fish uses it to propel itself forward.
21. Name 3 unpaired fins in trout and many other species of fish.
Dorsal, anal, and adipose fin

22. How many chambers does the trout heart have?

It has 2 chambers

23. What is the function of the liver and gall bladder?

The liver stores metabolic products of digestion and the gall bladder stores bile
produced by liver

24. What does the float bladder do in fish?

It allows the fish to be buoyant in the water

25. What is a Redd?

An area in the gravel that the female digs out to lay eggs
26. What is a fry?
The first time in a fishes life that it is free swimming

27. What are Parr marks?

Dark vertical lines on a several week old trout

28. What is a colormetric test?

A test where the results are determined by color

29. What is a titrimetric test?

A test conducted by adding a solution of known strength to a specific volume of a
sample in the presence of an indicator

30. Describe what the term meniscus means when measuring volume in a narrow tube.
The meniscus is the bowl shape formed in the tube and you need to read the
bottom of that

31. Explain what dissolved oxygen is.

It is oxygen that is in the water mostly from aquatic plants that is distributed
through current turbulence and other things
32. Describe the difference between hypoxia and anoxia.
Hypoxia refers to a very low level of dissolved while anoxia refers to water with
nearly an absence of dissolved oxygen.
33. What is pH a measure of and what is an ideal level for most aquatic organisms?
It refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions and a good level is somewhere
between 6.5 and 8.2
34. Why do we measure nitrate and phosphate levels in stream water quality testing?
We measure them because excess levels of nitrates and phosphates stimulate
excessive algae growth.
35. What is eutrophication?
It is an increase in the concentration of nutrients in water which causes in increase
in productivity of the ecosystem.
36. How do alkalinity and pH differ?
Alkalinity refers to the capability of water to neutralize an acid which is buffering
capacity with ph refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions and how acidic or
basic the water is.
37. What is alkalinity and why do we measure it?
Alkalinity is the capability of water to neutralize an acid. We measure it by using a
titrator
38. What is the major difference between spin casting and fly casting? The main
difference is in fly casting the line propels the fly and in spin casting the lure or
bait does.

39. Name 3 materials that are often used in making a fly rod.
Bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite
40. What is the purpose of fly tying?
To create an imitation of fish food by using natural and artificial products

41. What does it mean to “Match the Hatch” when fly fishing?
During different times of the year, certain insects will be hatching and that is what
the trout will be feeding on, so you need to recognize that and use the right fly
for that situation.

42. When describing a fly fishing hook, define the following; gape, shank, bend ,barb.
Gape: Space between the point and the shank
Shank: The shank is the longer part of the hood from eye to bend
Bend: The curvature at the end of the hood makes the bend
Barb: This is the part that helps prevent the fishing from dislodging the hook
43. What is the difference between Wet Fly Fishing, Dry Fly Fishing, and Nymph
Fishing?
Dry fly fishing is when you fish the fly on top of the water, wet fly fishing is when
you fish the fly right below surface or in the middle of water column, and nymph
is when you fish towards the bottom of water column.

44. What is a half hitch tool used for?

The half hitch tool is used to make a knot on a fly when you are finished with it

45. What is the difference between hair and fur as it applies to fly tying?
Hair is usually used for legs and other things while the fur is used for the bodies