Description: Fishes have a higher rate of endangerment than all other classes of vertebrates, due the varied and intensive human use of aquatic resources. Ecology of Fishes is a course focusing on the interactions between fishes and their environments. The course broadly covers physiology, life-history, predator-prey interactions and population and community level responses to biotic and abiotic factors in freshwater streams and lakes and marine habitats. We discuss adaptations for survival under different environmental constraints, basic fisheries concepts and concerns and fish conservation. Throughout the semester we consider a series of classic and recent studies which illustrate varied ecological concepts.   Objectives: After completing this course, you should be able to: Explain the varied adaptations that allow fishes to persist across different environments Evaluate empirical evidence supporting theory and concepts across scales of ecological organization Propose studies and applications that would support the conservation of fish biodiversity Core competencies: Acquiring disciplinary knowledge (e.g., physiology, population, community and ecosystem ecology) Understanding coupled social-ecological systems (e.g., fisheries and environmental impacts) Asking relevant questions & defining problems (e.g., research design) Collecting/analyzing data (e.g., methods and analysis of data)