BIOL 433/533 ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY SPRING SEMESTER 2011

Instructor: Dr. David Swanson, Churchill-Haines 168E and 180
Class Meeting Time: MWF 12:00-12:50, Beacom 303
Text: Willmer, P., G. Stone, and I. Johnston. 2005. Environmental Physiology of Animals, 2nd edition. Blackwell Science, London.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with environmental, or ecological, physiology in animals. This discipline is principally concerned with how animals are physiologically adapted to the environment in which they live. In this course, we will be concerned mainly with vertebrate animals, although some invertebrate examples will be included as well. Another objective of this course is to enable the student to apply knowledge about physiology and adaptation to identifying appropriate questions for research and correctly interpreting data. The general procedure we will use to accomplish these objectives is to introduce the physiological problems that animals must deal with and then discuss the solutions to those problems that have evolved in different animals.

The class will consist of both lectures and discussion of recent literature relating to the lecture topic, as well as a few laboratory demonstrations of techniques and physiological phenomena related to topics that we are discussing in lecture. The discussion portion of the course will usually occur on Fridays and will cover recent literature that the student is expected to have read before attending class. Grading will be based upon performance on the 3 exams (90%) and quizzes over reading material (10%). Graduate students will be expected to lead some of the class discussions over the reading material.

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE

Date Topic Text Reading Discussion Reading
1/14 Introduction to Adaptation, Lecture Notes; Figure1; Fig 2, Fig 3; Fig 4 Chapters 1-2

1/17 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - NO CLASS  
1/19 - 1/21 Energy Metabolism Chapters 3 & 6
  
1/24 - 1/28 Locomotion Energetics, Lecture Notes, Figures "
 Tropical Wren MR paper; Powerpoint
1/31 - 2/4 Energy Metabolism, Figures; Lecture Notes; PPT slides

Temperature, Lecture Notes; Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3

 Chapter 8
 Seasonal Metabolic Changes in Frogs paper; PowerPoint
2/7 - 2/11 Temperature, Lecture Notes 2; Figures 1, 2 "
 Antarctic Midge Freezing paper; PowerPoint
2/14 - 2/18 Temperature
 "
  
2/21 President's Day - NO CLASS

2/23 EXAM 1   Practice Exam 1, Study Guides 1, 2
2/25 Temperature; Frog & Toad Overwintering: Powerpoint slides; "
2/28 - 3/4 Temperature; Birds in the Cold Lecture "

3/7 - 3/11 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS  
3/14 - 3/18 Gas Exchange, Lecture Notes; handout
 Chapter 7
3/21 - 3/25 Gas Exchange - 2; Fig 1; Fig 2; Fig 3; Fig 4; Fig 5 "
 Sparrow altitude variation paper; PowerPoint
3/28 - 4/1 Gas Exchange
 "
 Insect discontinuous gas exchange paper; PowerPoint
4/4 EXAM 2   Practice Exam
4/6 - 4/8 Water and Ions; Lecture Notes 1; Ion comp handout; Telelost ion reg handout; salt gland handout Chapters 4-5
 Anuran aquaporin paper; PowerPoint; Summary PowerPoint
4/11 - 4/15 Water and Ions; Lecture Notes 2; handout "
4/18 - 4/20 Digestive and Nutritional Physiology; Lecture Notes; handout 1; handout 2; handout 3 Chapter 15, p. 602-609
  
4/22 and 4/25 EASTER BREAK - NO CLASS  
4/27 - 4/29 Digestive and Nutritional Physiology - Dietary Fats and Performance; Lecture Notes "  
5/4 (Wednesday) 8:00-10:00 pm EXAM 3
Practice Exam; Graphical Study Questions