ENV BIOL 3003 - Ecophysiology of Animals III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014

This course covers the intersection between three biological fields - physiology, ecology and behaviour, and examines some of the ways animals are adapted to the environments in which they live. In many cases, these are adaptations to severe environments such as deserts, polar regions, high altitude and deep sea, where nature poses apparently insurmountable problems to survival. The primary approach is to examine the biophysical exchanges between the animal and its environment. Another approach is to look at the physiology of animals with different life styles, and examine their evolutionary strategies for locomotion, digestion, reproduction, thermoregulation, osmoregulation, circulation and respiration.

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Course Details

Course Code	ENV BIOL 3003
Course	Ecophysiology of Animals III
Coordinating Unit	School of Earth and Environmental Sci(Inactive)
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 7 hours per week
Assumed Knowledge	6 units of Level II Environmental Biology courses, SACE Stage 2 Chemistry and/or Physics
Assessment	Quizzes, practical work & essay

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Roger Seymour

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

A succcessful student in this course should be able to:

1	demonstrate knowledge in the field of ecological and evolutionary physiology;
2	understand general ecophysiological concepts involving transfer between the environment and the animal;
3	develop lateral thinking skills by applying concepts to different circumstances;
4	develop quantitative thinking, including transfer of equations to imagination;
5	demonstrate the laboratory skills of data acquisition and manipulation;
6	demonstrate creativity by fabricating a ‘designer animal’ and applying course concepts to it.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1,2
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	3,4,6
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	5
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	5
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	1,2,6
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	4,5,6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

All course material will be provided online.

Recommended Resources

SCHMIDT-NIELSEN, K. Animal Physiology: Adaptation and Environment, 4th or 5th edition. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Other useful textbooks, somewhat heavy and packed with lots of information, are:

WITHERS, P.C.
Comparative Animal Physiology. Saunders.

ECKERT R.
Animal Physiology. 5th edition. Freeman

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course consists of:

2 X 1-hours lectures per week
1 X 4-hour practical per week
1 X 1-hour tutorial per week

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Learning Activities Summary

**Schedule**
	Lectures	Tutorials	Practicals (2 groups)
Week 1	Climate and microclimate Thermorequlation I	Biosphere energetics	Temperature regulation 1 No practical
Week 2	Thermorequlation I Thermogentic plants and their pollinators	Operative temperature humidity	No practical Temperature regulation 1
Week 3	Scaling I Scaling II	Doing allometry (Scaling)	Temperature requlation II Allometry
Week 4	Gas laws Oxygen cascade-diffusion and convection	Tutorial for quiz	Allometry Temperature regulation II
Week 5	Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide in blood Models of gas exchange organs	QUIZ 1 (20%)	Egg anatomy Egg anatomy
Week 6	Design of gas exchangers Evolution of amphibian embryos	Eggs of mound-building birds	Egg respiration Egg respiration
Week 7	Diving Buoyancy	No tutorial	Spreadsheet modelling Hb-O2 equilibrium curve
Week 8	Respiration in air and water	Tutorial for quiz	Hb-O2 equilibrium curve Spreadsheet modelling
Week 9	QUIZ 2 (20%)	Circulation II	Fun with rubber No practical
Week 10	Osmosis and diffusion Water and solute regulation - fish	Dinosaur Circulation	No practical Fun with rubber
Week 11	Water and solute regulation - amphibians Water and solute regulation-reptiles/birds	Active Transport	Active Transport No practical
Week 12	Water and solute regulation - mammals Tutorial for quiz	QUIZ 3 (20%)	No practical Active transport

Small Group Discovery Experience

The practicals consist of small groups that design experiments, carry them out and summarize the data. However, the writeups are all independent.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Type of Assessment	Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes	Hurdle Yes/No	Outcomes being assessed/achieved	Due date
Quizzes (x3)	Formative and Summative	60% (20% each)	Yes (40%)	1-4	Week 2, 9, 12
Essay	Formative and Summative	15%	No	3,5,6	Week 12
Practical write ups	Formative and Summative	15%	No	1-5	2 weeks after the practical
Practical performance	Formative and Summative	10%	No	1-5

Assessment Detail

Quizzes: (60% of total marks for the course)
There are 3 X 50-min quizzes, spread after each 1/3 of the course and totalling 60% of the assessment. The quizzes require the ability to apply concepts of the course to new problems as well as the ability to remember a few facts. The continuous assessment causes the students to keep up with the concepts of the course, which build upon each other. The quizzes are held in weeks 5,9 and 12.

Essay - Designer Animal Project: (15% of total marks for the course)
This aim of this project is to design an animal that has adapted physiologically to a particular environment. Students will write a paper that discusses the environmental and physiological aspects of an imaginary animal using real animals in real environments to design the evolutionary history and current adapations of choice. There is no requirement for a particular style or format. A common format is a report in essay or scientific paper format, approximately 2000-3000 words, incorporating figures (graphs, diagrams) as required. However, use proper literature citation style to real or fictitious papers (it should be clear which are real and which are not).

Practical Write Ups: (15% of total marks for the course)
Practicals are performed in small groups and results can be collaborative but the discussion must be written up by individual students and submitted individually. The write-ups consist of concise accountsof the results and discussion of the exercise.They should not need to be more than about 1000words. The guidelines and due-dates for write-ups will be given to you at the time of the practical.

Practical Performance (10% of total marks for the course)
This is judged during the practical periods according to how well the students are applying themselves to the tasks, how much they are apparently thinking about the problems, how easily the material is taken up and how much effort is put into the write-ups for the practicals.

Submission

All assessed material is submitted in electronic form to the instructor for marking.

Late Submission

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator