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Animal Function and Environmental Adaptation (NBIC49)

COURSE START Fall 2014

If you have come this far you deserve a price!

NBIC41 no longer exists and has been replaced by NBIC49 Animal Function and Environmental Adaptation. I (Jordi Altimiras) am still the course responsible and you can always contact me at

jordi.altimiras@liu.se

Because our course webpages are under reconstruction it is worthless to use this platform at this time.

The only thing that you can find in this page is the course schedule updated to Aug.17th 2014. Click on the schedule folder and it will take you to the page where you can download it.

This schedule is still provisional. The final schedule will be provided at the course start.

Aims

The student will increase her/his understanding of the function of the animal body by applying the essential principles of physiology (covered in an earlier basic course such as NBIB29 Fysiologiska principer) to specific situations/problems that different animal species (including humans) face in their life span.
For every given situation/problem the student will be able
  1. to identify the fundamental concepts implicated by discussion with fellow students
  2. to understand the fundamental concepts by explaining them orally in tutorial sessions
  3. to integrate all mechanisms involved in a multi-faceted response of the entire organism by writing a concise essay outlining all the steps of the physiological response
In consequence, the student will improve her/his ability
  1. to articulate and explain scientific concepts orally and spontaneously
  2. to write briefly and precisely on the progression of biological processes
  3. to describe quantitatively the outcome of physiological responses
 

Pre-requisites

Passed basic subjects in biology (50p, at least 25p theory)
Understanding of the following essential physiological concepts as presented in “Animal Physiology. From genes to organism” by Sherwood, Klandorf and Yancey 2005.
1.       Homeostasis
2.       Negative feedback control loops
3.       Resting membrane potential
4.       Action potential
5.       Synapse
6.       Classification of the vertebrate nervous system: central, peripheral, sensory, motor, somatic, autonomic, parasympathetic and sympathetic
7.       Receptor adaptation
8.       Pituitary hormones
9.       Cross-bridge cycling in muscle: role of actin and myosin
10.  Dynamics of calcium in muscle contraction
11.  Muscle types: skeletal, cardiac and smooth
12.  Types of cells in blood
13.  Respiratory pigments: hemoglobin
14.  Gas partial pressures and Dalton’s law
15.  Gas solubilities and Henry’s law
16.  Oxygen dissociation curve
17.  Structure of a nephron
18.  Gastrointestinal peristalsis
19.  Chemical digestive enzymes
20.  Phases of the menstrual cycle

Further studies

NBID21 Molecular Physiology
NBID24 Adaptation: molecules to organisms
NBID27 Neurobiology


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Last updated: 08/17/14