Spring Semester 2004
PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY (L560)
Place: JH A310
The focus of this class will be on “eco-physiology” or the interaction of physiology and behavior nested within an ecological context. Specifically, we will examine how various physiological and behavioral processes (e.g., energy balance, thermoregulation, metamorphosis, immunity, vocal communication, social behavior, chemical signaling, biological timing, stress) interact with one another in a variety of vertebrate species from the perspectives of physiology, endocrinology, neurobiology, ethology and behavioral ecology.
In order to gain a more meaningful, in-depth understanding of some of the important areas within physiological ecology, this course will focus more on depth than breadth. Specifically, we will adopt a “case studies” approach in which we will focus on select research topics that have made important contributions to the development of the field, rather than attempt a broad (but necessarily superficial) survey of the entire field. The class will involve a combination of formats including short lectures to provide introductory background material, student presentations of select topics of interest, and class discussion of some of the key primary literature as well as reviews and/or book chapters. In addition, a short (5-7 page) research proposal is required. The objective of this proposal is to present a creative, logical follow-up study within the context of one of the class topics (we will discuss this in more detail).
CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNEMENTS
January 13: Organizational meeting, course introduction, initial topic selection
January 20: NO CLASS
January 27: Review of physiological systems/concepts
February 3: Responses to radiant environment: Seasonality/photoperiodism in birds
February 10: Responses to aquatic environment: Plastic metamorphosis in anurans
February 17: Responses to social environment: Socially-controlled sex change in fishes
February 24: Responses to chemical environment: Chemical communication in lizards
March 2: Responses to extreme cold environment: “Antifreeze” mechanisms in turtles
March 9: Responses to extreme hot/arid environment: Adaptive heterothermy in desert animals
March 16: Spring Break (No Class)
March 23: Responses to parasitic environment: Ecological immunology
March 30: selected topics
April 6: selected topics
April 13: selected topics
***RESEARCH PROPOSALS DUE***
April 20: selected topics
April 27: selected topics
May 4: selected topics
POTENTIAL TOPICS
Mechanisms of hibernation/torpor in ground squirrels
Mechanisms of migration in birds
Stress responses in arctic birds
Temperature-dependent sex determination in reptiles
Social interactions in subterranean rodents
Acoustic communication in anurans
Social status/ reproductive suppression in canids
Plant compounds (6-MBOA) and reproduction
Environmental endocrine disruptors
Course Structure & Grading:
Short (5-7 page) research proposal-30%
RESEARCH PROPOSAL:
I. Title page
II. Introduction
Place research in context of the “big picture”
What would you do next?
State research problem clearly
Explicitly state hypothesis to be tested
III. Methods
Describe key methods & procedures
Describe the experimental design
IV. Predicted Results and Discussion
Based on the previous work, what do you expect will happen?
What are the alternative outcomes?
What do the results suggest?
What are the limitations?
V.
References