Last modified: 22 Aug 2024 14:46
Have you ever wondered how your body functions? Imagine it as a complex machine, where each part plays a critical role. Physiology is the science that explores how these parts work and interact to ensure the organism functions optimally.
This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of animal physiology, focusing on the similarities and differences in various animals across the tree of life. Through engaging lectures, you will gain a theoretical understanding of the processes that underpin cellular, tissue, and organ functions and their communication.
Hands-on practicals are designed to help you apply these concepts and develop laboratory skills. By studying examples from different animal phyla, you will appreciate the universal processes fundamental to all animals and recognise the unique adaptations within different groups.
Assessments are structured to consolidate and apply your knowledge, allowing you to delve deeper into a topic of interest through a group poster project and develop transferrable skills essential for your future career.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
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This course takes a comparative approach to the study of animal physiology, aiming to understand the mechanisms of animal body functions from cells to the whole organism. It builds on the introduction to evolutionary relationships and structures from Diversity of Life 2 and serves as a bridge to the more advanced Comparative Physiology 2.
The course covers various topics:
1: Foundations of Animal Physiology: IIntroduces the basic building blocks necessary to understand animal physiology and explores how organisms communicate internally to ensure physiological homeostasis is maintained.2: Comparative Physiology of Body Systems: Explores the structure and function of various body systems and discusses how they differ between species. This section highlights evolutionary relationships among different species and adaptations of physiological processes to meet their specific needs. Organ systems covered include the endocrine, nervous, musculoskeletal, circulatory, digestive and sensory systems.
3: Practical Applications of Physiology: Discusses practical applications of physiology with a focus on medical applications, biosensors and robotics.
The course includes lecture content as well as practical work. The practicals are structured to provide hands-on experience with biological material and living organisms, apply the concepts learned through lectures and readings, further develop laboratory and data analysis skills, and offer opportunities to work with peers.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Students should possess a Howie laboratory coat and safety glasses. Further details of requirements can be found on the course's MyAberdeen page. The cost listed here is approximate. | 23.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 35 | Feedback Weeks | 40 | |
| Feedback |
Students will be provided with a list of topics from which they select one. Individual research will be required and students expected to produce an informative poster. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | Developed expertise with one topic through independent research evidenced by communicating the key messages in the form of a poster |
| Conceptual | Understand | Demonstrate an understanding of the structures and mechanisms involved in physiological processes to inform a comparative framework |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
On-campus test during term time. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Exam which is split into two parts - a written test worth 30% and practical test worth 30%. Held in exam period. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Assesment - week 50-52 Feedback - Three weeks after submission |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Recognize system components in vivo and carry out lab techniques appropriate for investigating physiology, and report findings in an appropriate format |
| Factual | Understand | Describe the mechanisms for the fundamental physiological processes in animals |
| Conceptual | Understand | Demonstrate an understanding of the structures and mechanisms involved in physiological processes to inform a comparative framework |
| Conceptual | Apply | Developed expertise with one topic through independent research evidenced by communicating the key messages in the form of a poster |
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