THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
ST. AUGUSTINE
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF LIFE SCIENCES
TITLE:
BIOL2867 Physiology of Animals
CREDITS:
3
LEVEL:
Undergraduate-Year II
SEMESTER: II
PRE-REQUISITES:
BIOL1263 Living Organisms II and BIOL1362 Biochemistry I and either BIOL1364 Genetics I
or ESST 1XX1 Biology for Environmental Sciences
ANTI-REQUISITES:
BIOL2862 Animal Physiology
OFFERING DEPARTMENT:
Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, The University of the West
Indies, St. Augustine.
COURSE COVERAGE:
Physiology of Animals is the study of how animals’ function. It is a broad-based course which
provides an introduction to molecular and cellular physiology and the principal physiological
systems in animals, and how these systems function to maintain homeostasis in various
environments. It covers fundamental concepts in osmoregulation and excretion, neurophysiology,
muscle physiology, respiration, thermo-physiology, circulation and gas transport, endocrinology,
and cardiovascular physiology. We also look at some of the major stressors on physiological
processes and show how animals have been able to deal them. Typical stressors that are covered
include osmotic pressures, water limitation, hypoxia, altitude, depth, temperature extremes and
exercise. While animal physiology examines systems and processes common to all animal species,
this course will focus on vertebrates, with a special emphasis on mammalian systems.
SIGNIFICANCE/RATIONALE:
The physiology of animals is a study of how animal function and respond to changes in their
environment. This course allows us to understand the basic physiological functioning of animals
and how these allow animals to deal with stressors in their environments. Knowledge of certain
aspects of the natural history, morphology, behaviour, and environment of an animal is necessary
to fully appreciate the importance of its physiology.
ENROLMENT CAPACITY: 200 students (maximum)
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PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
This course provides a basic understanding of the physiological functioning of animals. This
discipline is principally concerned with how animals are physiologically adapted to the
environment in which they live.
INSTRUCTOR’S INFORMATION
Dr Azad Mohammed (Coordinator)
Room 222, Natural Sciences Building, UWI- Life Sciences
Phone: 868-662-2002 Extn. 82046; Fax: 868-663-5241
Email: [email protected]
Preferred contact – By Email
Professor John Agard
Room 220, Natural Sciences Building, UWI- Life Sciences
Phone: 868-662-2002 Extn. 83095; Fax: 868-663-5241
Email: [email protected]
Preferred contact – By Email
Office-Contact hours (Coordinator)
Day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Time
8-10AM
8-10AM
8-10AM
8-10AM
8-10AM
LETTER TO THE STUDENT
Dear Students,
I would like to extent a very warm welcome to you as we get prepared for the start of BIOL xxxx
- Physiology of Animal. I am Dr Azad Mohammed, your Course Coordinator. Part of this course
is also being taught by Professor John Agard. This course is fully supported through myelearning,
which we update regularly. Please feel free to contact me (course teacher)/TA/demonstrator for
any academic help and assistance. Please know that we are here to support your learning and
success as a student in FSA.
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This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of the basic principles of comparative
physiology and their ecological and evolutionary significance. Another goal of the course is to
teach students how to critically investigate physiological problems experimentally in relation to
an animal’s environment and the strategies used to solve these problems.
A few points to note:
The Course Schedule (dates/activities) is available on the course page and should be downloaded
for your reference and continued guidance, as soon as you have access.
Please take the time to read the policy on plagiarism.
Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and look forward to some healthy
interactions over the course of the next semester.
Your Course Coordinator
Dr Azad Mohammed.
‘there are no strangers in this world, only friends you haven’t yet met’
CONTENT
The course covers several major physiological systems in the body. It explores the structure and
function of animals and allows students to gain some knowledge on the diversity, as well as
similarities in the physiology of animal - at the microscopic as well as macroscopic level.
Respiratory Physiology
The initial part of the course looks at respiratory systems and explains how these have become
modifies in different groups of organisms allowing them to live in specific environments. The
respiratory systems of air-breathing vertebrates, the gill system of fish, the insect tracheal system,
and the unidirectional gas exchange system of birds
It also looks at the principles of gas exchange and shows how the respiratory gasses are transported
to and away from tissues via the circulatory system. It also looks at the adaptations of these systems
under extreme conditions.
Osmoregulation
One of the main challenges that organisms face is maintenance of internal homeostatic conditions.
this sections looks specifically at the process of regulating water potential in order to
keep fluid and electrolyte balance within a cell or organism relative to the surrounding. It is the
way by which an organism maintains suitable concentration of solutes and amount of water in
the body fluids.
Thermal Physiology
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Thermo regulation is another mechanism used to homeostatic conditions of tissues. This topic will
look specifically at temperature regulations and the strategies most organism use to deal with
changing ambient environmental conditions.
Neurophysiology
Sensory and neuro physiology covers the broad range of topic specifically looking at how stimuli
are integrated, transmitted and interpreted by the body. We examine the structure of the neuron
and how it is able to achieve its function.
Nueromuscular physiology
Neuromuscular Physiology can be studied at the most simple levels by using the classical models
of nerve signaling to muscles through acetylcholine receptors. This topic shall investigate the
structure and function of the neuromuscular junction and the sequence of events that occur
following stimulation of the muscle to the eventual contraction.
Digestion
Digestive physiology is concerned with the tissues that contribute to the physical and chemical
breakdown of food. It would focus on the chemical processes that break food into forms that can
be transported and metabolized into other molecules.
COURSE GOALS:
The main goal of the course is to familiarize students with the principles of physiology and its
ecological and evolutionary significance. Another goal of the course is to teach students how to
critically investigate physiological problems experimentally in relation to an animal’s environment
and the strategies used to solve these problems.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the course, the student should be able to have a good understanding of the following:


The structure and functions of the major physiological systems found in vertebrate and
invertebrate organisms and how these systems integrate in the whole animal.
a. The respiratory systems (ventilation, diffusion and perfusion of blood) of airbreathing vertebrates, the gill system of teleost fish, the insect tracheal system, and
the unidirectional gas exchange system of birds.
b. The function of the nervous system including synaptic transmission and sensory
perception in vertebrates and invertebrates
c. The skeletal muscle system and the physiology of muscle contraction in response
to stimulation.
The basic principles of physiological regulation and homeostasis,
a. How organism are able to maintain normal homeostatic function under extreme
temperature changes, and mechanisms for adaptation.
b. Osmotic regulation and ionic balance
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AIMS/GOALS
At
the
end
of
the
course
you
should
• have a thorough knowledge and understanding of many aspects of animal physiology
based on attendance at lectures and reference to the recommended textbook
• be able to perform and write-up experiments in animal physiology having done the
practicals
and
obtained
feedback
from
marked
work
• be able to assess your knowledge of animal physiology in preparation for the exams.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this course students will be able to:






record and interpret physiological phenomena in appropriate units.
analyze and interpret laboratory data using graphical and statistical tools.
investigate physiological phenomena using appropriate lab methods.
search the library and internet to obtain literature pertinent to a chosen physiological topic.
actively seek and assimilate information from texts, assigned articles and reference texts.
work collaboratively with one or more lab partners.
Dispositional outcomes:


Students will understand the relevance and importance of physiology in the Major of their
degree.
Students will not hesitate to ask questions or seek help from the instructors when material
is difficult or confusing.
Mode of Delivery:
Lectures -24 hours:
Didactic; interactive
Tutorials - 6 hours:
Interactive; mind maps; problem-solving
Laboratory classes- 20 hours
(4 five-hour sessions):
Interactive practical tasks; problem-solving
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Assessment would be based on a combination of in-course assessment (50%) and final
examination (50%).
In-course assessments consist of both theory and practical components, and together make up the
50% of the final marks. A student missing an in-course examination because of an illness or
legitimate emergency will be allowed to do a makeup examination the date of which will be
advertised and shall be within 7 days of the first test. In such a circumstance, the student should
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make every reasonable attempt to contact the instructors as soon as possible. While make-up
exams will cover the same content area as a missed exam, the exam format and specific questions
may be different. There shall be no makeup labs, students missing a practical exercise must submit
a valid medical within 7 days of the practical. Failure to do so will mean that a grade of zero will
be given for that practical. Those who submit a valid medical will be given a final practical mark
that is an average of all their marks. Any student missing more than 25% of practical classes or
tutorial sessions without a medical or other valid excuse can be debarred from writing the final
exam.
Final exam: Duration 2 hrs; Essay and short answer questions. The final paper may include a
compulsory section.
The contribution of each component to the final grades is as follows:
EVALUATION
Course Work: 50%
-
Writing across the curriculum exercises:
Laboratory reports (10 x 2% ):
In-course test 1:
In-course test 2:
Tutorial Attendance and participation:
Final examination (2 hours)
5%
20%
10%
10%
5%
50 %
Coursework in BIOL2XXX will be assessed in the following ways:
1. Writing across curriculum exercises-5%.
These activities are designed to encourage students to become active learners by engaging
knowledge to further develop understanding. The exercises would help students
understanding content and expressing ideas. A total of five simple exercises worth a total
of 5 marks (1 mark per exercise) would be given during lectures or tutorials (no more than
one per week). Each exercise would take between 5 – 10 minutes to complete and would
comprise of varying activities including:
a. Focused free-writing: Students may be asked to briefly write on their understanding
or perspective on a subject/topic covered or on how the subject/topic may be
connected to other situations.
b. Entry slips-: Short responses to questions posed at the beginning of class;
c. Answering questions: One or few questions would be given which students must
answer and submit for grading.
d. Short summary: Students are asked to summarize main points of a reading
assignment in a short paragraph.
e. Group presentation: The tutorial class would be divided into groups and each group
would be required to make a short presentation on a document provided.
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2. Class participation- 5%
Student participation in tutorial sessions will be monitored by the tutor and a grade
assigned at the end of the semester. Participation would include more than just showing
up at tutorial – some evidence of an active role in the tutorial discussion would be required
to obtain the full 5% for participation. At the beginning of the semester, the students in
each tutorial would engage in developing the exact assessment criteria for this assignment,
and the student-developed criteria will be used to determine each student’s participation
grade.
3. In-course Test-20%
Two in-course tests would be given worth 20%. The test would be given in weeks 6 and
12 of the semester and would comprise MCQs and short answer questions.
4. Practicals (20%):
Practicals will contribute 20% to the final grade. There will be 4 practical sessions for the
duration of the course. The final mark for each practical will consist of the final report
(70%) and a performance mark (30%). Late lab submission would be penalized by a 15%
deduction of the final grade for each day late.
5. Final examination (60%)
The final paper would consist of a 2hr examination which includes a compulsory section.
It would have a mixture of short answer and essay type questions.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
EVALUATION
BIOLxxxx will be evaluated in two ways – (a) through the Class Representative and the Life
Sciences Student-Staff Liaison Committee, and (b) an end of semester course evaluation survey.




Feedback will be obtained informally from students on an ongoing basis by regular interactions
and meetings among students, demonstrators, teaching assistants and the Course Coordinator
in practicals and tutorials.
Formal feedback will be via Class Representatives who sit on the Departmental Student-Staff
Liaison Committee meetings held twice during the semester. Class reps will report concerns
and commendations to the meeting as guided by the Department’s Standard Operating
Procedures.
Formal evaluation of the entire course will be accomplished via a UWI Course Evaluation
questionnaire administered anonymously and confidentially at the end of the semester.
All feedback will be considered on an ongoing basis and corrective action or adjustments made
or discussed with students promptly or incorporated the following year.
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TEACHING STRATEGIES:
Course objectives will be achieved through the aid of the following learning activities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assigned readings
Class lecture and videos
Web page resources
Practical exercises
The material presented in all modes of instruction will be sufficient in content to allow students to
have a good understanding of the topics. Lectures will help to direct the students to some of the
more important details of each topic. Assigned readings will serve to supplement lectures. These
include lectures notes, web based materials and original research papers on topics covered. We
would also request that students post links to interesting articles for discussion in the forums in the
course page.
RESOURCES
Text books:
Principles of Animal Physiology 2nd Edition
Christopher D. Moyes and Patricia M. Schulte.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Discussion topics will be placed online for class comments.
READINGS
Instructors will periodically upload in my-elearning important research articles, review papers,
book chapters and other related study materials.
Students are expected to consult prescribed text books for relevant chapters for complete details
and for preparation for examinations
Students are expected to download those files or visit the suggested websites or read relevant book
chapters/journal articles before they come for the following class. These were considered and
included as portions of the syllabus and covered fully during examinations.
BIOL 2862 COURSE SCHEDULE
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WEEK LECTURES
1
1.
2.
2
3.
4.
3
4
Regulation of heartbeat (Azad Mohammed)
6.
Regulation of heartbeat (Azad Mohammed)
7.
Cardiovascular responses to diving in
mammals and birds (Azad Mohammed)
Cardiovascular responses to high altitude
(Azad Mohammed)
Tutorial (Azad Mohammed)
9.
5
6
10.
Q10 and thermal increment. Ectothermy; the
zone of tolerance, adaptations to cold and
heat (John Agard)
11.
Endothermy, the thermo neutral zone,
responses to heat and cold. Heterothermy:
torpor and hibernation. (John Agard)
12.
Tutorial (John Agard)
13.
Coursework exam 1 (Azad Mohammed)
14.
15.
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Properties of air and water as respiratory
media. Comparative respiration and gas
exchange efficiency of integuments, gills,
mammalian lungs and bird lungs (John
Agard)
Comparative respiration and gas exchange
efficiency (cont’d) (John Agard)
Respiratory pigments and the factors that 1 The effects of oxygen and carbon
modify their activity (Azad Mohammed)
dioxide
concentration
on
respiration in insects.
Gas transport and acid-base balance of the
Objective: To understand what is the
blood. (Azad Mohammed)
primary stimulus for respiration.
5.
8.
16.
PRACTICALS
2
The effect of temperature on the
heart rate of an ectotherm.
Objective: to understand how
temperature
affects
Q10
in
ectotherms
3 Cardiovascular and respiratory
physiology of humans
Excretory systems (Azad Mohammed)
Objective: Give students an idea of
how cardiovascular physiology
Water and osmotic regulation. Ionic changes to meet the demands of
regulation (Azad Mohammed)
environmental conditions.
Digestion
We would investigate the tissues that
contribute to the physical and chemical
breakdown of food. Focus would also be on
the chemical processes that break food into
forms that can be transported and
9
metabolized into other molecules (Azad
Mohammed)
8
17.
Digestion
We would investigate the tissues that
contribute to the physical and chemical
breakdown of food. Focus would also be on
the chemical processes that break food into
forms that can be transported and
metabolized into other molecules (Azad
Mohammed)
18.
Tutorial (Azad Mohammed)
19.
The ultra structure of muscles (Azad 4. The Physiology of skeletal
Mohammed)
muscles.
Objectives:
The regulation of muscle contractions (Azad
- Name and describe the phases of a
Mohammed)
muscle twitch
- Explain why the “all or none” law
is reflected in the activity of a single
muscle cell, but not in an intact
skeletal muscle.
- Understand that the graded
response of skeletal muscles is a
function of the number of muscle
fibers stimulated and the frequency
of the stimulus.
- Define
and
explain
the
physiological
basis
of
the
following;
 Subminimal, minimal, maximal and
supramaximal stimuli
 Latent period
 Wave summation
 Tetanus
 Muscle fatigue
Explain the effect of load on skeletal
muscle
20.
9
21.
The mechanics of muscle contraction (Azad
Mohammed)
22.
The propagation and transmission of action
potentials (John Agard)
23.
Tutorial (John Agard)
10
10
11
12
24.
The synapse; excitation and inhibition (John
Agard)
25.
The synapse; neuronal integration (John Presentation of labs (5%)
Agard)
26.
Tutorial (John Agard)
27.
The organization of sensory systems (John
Agard)
28.
Transmission and sorting
information (John Agard)
29.
Tutorial (Azad Mohammed)
30.
Coursework exam II (Azad Mohammed)
of
sensory
-
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Students must attend 75% of their practicals. Failure to do so may result in the student being
debarred from the final examination. (Examination regulations Section II part 19
http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/Exam_and_GPA_regulations.pdf).
In order to pass the course, you must gain a overall mark of 40% from both the coursework
and the final theory exam. Any student who misses more than 25% of practical classes or
tutorial sessions without a medical or other valid excuse can be debarred from writing the
final exam.
If you do have a disability and have not disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you
need, you are invited to contact the Academic Support/Disabilities Liaison Unit (ASDLU) of The
University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus.
Phone: 662-2002 extension 83866, 83921, 83923 and 84254
Fax: 662-2002 extension 83922
Email: [email protected]
http://sta.uwi.edu/asdlu/forms.asp
Additional information posted in the Department of Life Science hand book may be consulted for
additional details regarding,
Role of Lectures, Tutorials and Practical’s,
Attendance,
Online Teaching Resources,
General safety guidelines in Lab and
General Safety Practices
Accident and incident reporting forms.
Academic Dishonesty:
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Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic
offense and carries penalties varying from failure in an assignment to possible suspension from
the University. http://sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/accountability.pdf (Department of Life Sciences
Handbook)
HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS COURSE




The lectures will be delivered using power point presentation and slides/videos depicting
real-time scenarios and thoroughly discussed.
These will be posted on myelearning) the day after the lecture.
Students should read all the relevant materials given.
They should also attempt past paper questions which we can review.
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