Biology 236C – Animal Physiology

• Instructor: Pastor Jones Denusta

• Textbook: Principles of Animal
Physiology
Contact info

Pastor Jones T. Denusta, PhD

Office: Rizal Hall 102, WVSU

Email: ptd@wvsu.edu.ph

Consultation Hours: MTWThF 0800-0900 H

 Introduction to
Physiological Principles
Animal Physiology - definition

“The study of how animals work” – Knut

Schmidt-Nielsen

Structure and function of various parts

- How these parts work together
Subdisciplines in Physiological Research

Biological Level of Organization

•Cell and molecular, systems, and organismal

Process Generating Variation

•Developmental, environmental, evolutionary

Goals of Research
•Pure and applied, medical and comparative
Unifying Themes in Physiology (Table 1.1)
• Physiological processes obey physical and chemical laws

• Physiological processes are usually regulated

– Homeostasis – maintenance of internal constancy

• Phenotype is a product of genotype and its interaction with the

environment
– Genotype – genetic makeup
– Phenotype – expression of genotype in morphology, physiology,
and behavior
– Phenotypic plasticity – single genotype generates more than one
phenotypic outcome depending on environmental conditions

• Genotype is the product of evolution

Unifying Themes in Physiology (Table 1.1)
• Physiological processes obey physical and
chemical laws
 Physical properties of a material
are linked to function (e.g.,
bone)
 Chemical laws govern
molecular interactions (e.g.,
effects of temperature)
 Electrical laws describe
membrane function, including
excitable cells
 Body size influences
biochemical and physical
patterns – allometric scaling
Unifying Themes in Physiology (Table 1.1)
• Physiological processes are usually regulated
– Homeostasis – maintenance of internal
constancy

How
Howdodoanimals
animalsdeal
dealwith
with
variations in their environment?
variations in their environment?
Physiological Regulation
• Conformers
• (a) Allow internal
conditions to change
when faced with
variations in external
conditions
• (b) Internal
environment adjusts to
reflect external
conditions
Physiological Regulation

Moyes and Schulte;

Figure 1.4
Physiological Regulation

• Regulators
• (a) Maintain relatively
constant internal
conditions regardless of
the conditions in the
external environment
• (b) Keep internal
environment within
narrow limits
Physiological Regulation - Homeostasis
• Maintenance of internal conditions in the
face of environmental perturbations
• Controlled by feedback loops or reflex
control pathways
– Negative feedback loops
– Positive feedback loops

Figure 1.5
Unifying Themes in Physiology (Table 1.1)
• Phenotype is a product of genotype and its interaction with
the environment
– Genotype – genetic makeup
– Phenotype – morphology, physiology, and behavior
– Phenotypic plasticity – single genotype generates more than one
phenotype depending on environmental conditions
Phenotypic Plasticity
• Can be irreversible or reversible
• Irreversible
– Polyphenism - developmental plasticity
• Reversible
– Acclimation - lab
– Acclimatization – natural environment
Unifying Themes in Physiology (Table 1.1)
• Genotype is the product of evolution

• Adaptation
– Change in a population over evolutionary time (i.e.
many generations)
Trait that confers an increase in reproductive success
via natural selection
Physiology and evolution
• Physiologists attempt to understand
and account for diversity of animal
body form and strategies that animals
use to cope with their environments
• Two types of questions
• Proximate cause – How?
• Ultimate cause – Why?
Seatwork: (BS-2A)
1. How would you define physiology?
2. What are the subdisciplines of physiology?
3. How do some of the other sciences help us
to understand physiological processes?
4. What are the major unifying themes in
physiology?
5. What is homeostasis?
6. Compare and contrast negative feedback
with positive feedback.
Seatwork: (BS-2B)
1. How would you define physiology?
2. What are the subdisciplines of physiology?
3. How do some of the other sciences help us
to understand physiological processes?
4. Compare and contrast negative feedback
with positive feedback.
5. What is a phenotype?
6. What are some of the ways in which an
individual’s phenotype can change?
Seatwork: (BS-2C)
1. How would you define physiology?
2. What are the subdisciplines of physiology?
3. How do some of the other sciences help us
to understand physiological processes?
4. Compare and contrast negative feedback
with positive feedback.
5. What is a phenotype?
6. What are some of the ways in which an
individual’s phenotype can change?