![Kish, William [Biol]](http://blogs.longwood.edu/williamkish/files/2019/10/cropped-Buffalo-creek.jpg)
Before Longwood, I have never had a biology course that focused on a specific organismal group. The biology curriculum at Longwood allowed me to take specific courses that focused on specific organismal groups. Some courses that I took included BIOL 370 Ichthyology and BIOL 371 Ornithology. Another course that I would consider slightly organismal would be BIOL 251 Ecology and Evolution because my project heavily focused on the ecology and some morphological features of crayfish.
In BIOL 251, my project involved examining the relationships of crayfish and amphibians. In the project, I used the invasive red swamp crayfish and the native Piedmont crayfish. I looked at their different ecology and morphology to see how they would impact the tadpoles. Some of the main differences between the crayfish was that the red swamp crayfish is overall bigger and more aggressive than the Piedmont crayfish. With knowing these, it gave our results a little more meaning and justification.
In BIOL 370, I learned a lot about fish ecology, conservation, and how to identify different species of native fish. Our semester long project had us select a particular fish species, catch them in Briery Creek, and examine their morphometric and merestic characteristics. My group selected the redear sunfish because it is a common species in lakes and ponds. We counted the number of scales below and above the lateral line, how many fin spines and rays on each type of fin, and counted how many scales were along the lateral line. With these counts, we were able to come up with ratios for identification. Outside of our project, we used identification keys to be able to identify fish species by their physical appearances. In this class, I learned how to identify fish species by appearances, how to collect morphometric data, and the different techniques of collecting fish in the field.
In BIOL 371, I learned about birds, which was initially something I knew nothing about. In this class, I learned how to identify birds by sight and sound, identify the different organs and bones, and discussed the different ecology and life history of bird families. Although we did not do a project, we often went out into the field and sometimes out of the state to see and identify new birds to add to our life list. One presentation we did in the class was present different bird orders from around the world. I learned about and presented on falconiformes, gallifromes, and gruiformes. Throughout this class, I gained many field identification skills that will benefit for potential careers and graduate school.
With all the different experiences, I know that I can use them for a variety of careers. The data collection skills from these classes can be used for a multitude of other organisms. Someday, I would love to work with birds or even fish in some sort of conservation management program and these skills and experiences will help me do so.
Below is my BIOL 251 paper involving the Red Swamp and Piedmont crayfish.
Crayfish amphibian interactions
Below is my BIOL 370 Ichthyology presentation on the Redear Sunfish.
Below is my BIOL 371 Ornithology presentation bird orders.