Lecture 1: Introduction to Animal Physiology

Reading: Chapter 1 Lecture Outline:

I. What is Physiology? II. The Unifying Themes in Animal Physiology III. What is Homeostasis? IV. Regulatory Mechanisms

What is this course? Animal Physiology!

Physiology:
Physis: Nature Logos: study of Study of the functions that make up living things.

Questions to be Answered in Animal Physiology 225

What does it do? FUNCTION

How does it do it?

MECHANISM

How is it controlled? REGULATION

Structure - Function Relationship

Multiple Levels of Biological Organization

What makes up Physiology?

Animal
Genetics, Anatomy and Cell Biology Physics and Chemistry

Environment
Temperature, Nutrients, Water, Oxygen, Protection / Exposure, Social interactions Physics and Chemistry

Phenotype

Environment

Genotype

Four Unifying Themes in Animal Physiology

Laws of Physics and Chemistry influence Physiological processes. The phenotype is a product of the genotype and the environment. A genotype is the product of evolution, acting through natural selection and other evolutionary processes. Physiological processes are regulated.

Phenotype: Morphology appearance

includes physiology and behavior.

Phenotypic plasticity: is the ability of a

phenotype to change in response to environmental conditions.

Adaptation: Changes in population over

evolutionary time as a result of natural selection that improve the survivability or reproductive fitness of the species.

Phenotypic Plasticity
The same genotype may result in multiple phenotypes.

Factors Influencing Phenotype

Homeostasis
Maintenance of a constant internal environment despite changes in external environment. Not an equilibrium. Equilibrium = death!
Claude Bernard
(1871-1945)

Any change in the environment elicits

a physiological response which

functions to maintain homeostasis.

Homeostasis of the body is a composite of the specialized functioning of individual cells, tissues, organs and organ systems.

The Regulatory Systems

Endocrine System
Nervous System

The Regulatory Mechanisms

Regulatory Mechanisms
Feedback
- Positive - Negative Feed Forward Action

Acclimatization

Negative Feedback

Negative feedback in the control of body temperature

Postive feedback parturition (birth)

Positive Feedback: Stimulus triggers mechanisms that amplify the response and reinforces the stimulus.

Positive feedback

uterine contractions during parturition

What terminates the postive feedback? Birth!

Feed-Forward Action
Anticipatory Action
You put your jacket on before leaving the building.

Acclimatization
Adjustment in physiological function/s in response to changes in the environment (multiple factors). - Typically reversible. - Example: Recovering from jetlag.

Acclimation
A laboratory phenomenon Adjustment in response to only one factor.