BIOL 311 - Comparative Physiology

All animals are faced with similar fundamental problems, namely, acquiring and using energy, exchanging nutrients and wastes with the environment, balancing water and electrolytes, and reproducing. This course is about how animals address these problems in the context of the varied (and sometimes extreme) environments in which they live. With evolution as a unifying theme, both the general principles of animal function (the similarities among different animals) and the exceptions to the general rules are investigated. Topics include size and scaling, energy metabolism, temperature tolerance and regulation, gas exchange, water and osmotic regulation, respiration and circulation, excitable tissue, and global climate change physiology. General principles of animal physiology are also explored using examples of animals that live in extreme environments. When offered, BIOL 311L is a required corequisite.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: BIOL 311L
Prerequisites: (

BIOL 181

and BIOL 182)
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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