Physiological Ecology

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the study of interactions between physiological capabilities of organisms, their ecology and, more broadly, their environment. This course looks at how organisms work and what it is about their environment that has led them to work that way. Both abiotic and biotic components of the environment are considered as sources of important variation to which organisms must adapt. Plants and microbes are covered to some extent, but the primary focus will be on animals (both vertebrates and invertebrates). The primary goal is to gain an appreciation for the flexibility of physiological systems and the powers of evolutionary processes to shape the physiology of an organism in response to its environment.