BIO.5064 Environmental Physiology
This course will involve an examination of how animals adapt to their environments - also known as Ecophysiology. We will discuss mainly vertebrates, but some invertebrates as well. The course will examine form and function, and explore a wide variety of topics such as life in deep seas, in frozen lands, and in arid landscapes. We will study animals that live in extreme environments, and the adaptations that allow them to do so. This course will not be a comprehensive survey of all areas of study within environmental physiology, but instead will cover the major topics in detail, adding primary literature material to supplement textbook readings. Physiological subjects to be covered include energy metabolism, thermal relations, water and ionic regulation, and renal physiology.