ZOO 401

Chapter 1: Introduction to Physiological that are due to the interactions of the component
Principles part of the system
Animal physiology Animal physiologists address basic and applied
questions
 “The study of how animal work” – Knut
Schmidt Basic research – provides profound insight into
 A central discipline in biology linking the how animal work and the evolutionary causes and
underlying molecular and cellular consequences of variation in physiological
mechanisms processes

Phenotypes – observable traits of an organism Importance of physiology

- Morphology, physiology, and behavior  In Conservation biology and ecology

- Influences the reproductive success on an  Understanding physiological functions of
organism animals can help us predict their responses
- to environmental changes
 Understanding human health and disease
Genotype – the genetic constitution of an organism
Model organisms – species that are chosen
 Genotype + environment = phenotype because they have features that makes them
 Individual genotype can produce more than particularly suitable to specific experiment
one phenotype
August Krogh Principle
*Evolutionary change is the ultimate cause of
the enormous diversity of animal species - For every biological problem there is an
organism on which it can be conveniently
studied
Model organisms are studies because:
 have features that are conducive to
experiment
 provides insight into how the process works
in other species of interest
Physics and Chemistry: the basis of physiology
Physiology is a quantitative science
Cells – lowest level biological organization capable The laws of diffusion help to explain the
of independent life evolution of animal form and function
Animal physiologist study phenomena at Adolf Fick – developed Fick’s law of diffusion
multiple levels of organization
Fick’s laws of diffusion
ATOMS MOLECULES CELLS TISSUE
1. substance diffuse frim high to low
ORGANS ORGAN SYSTEMS concentration areas
ORGANISMS POPULATION COMMUNITY 2. isolated systems spontaneously move
towards entropy (state of maximum)
ECOSYSTEM BIOSPHERE
Reductionism – understand the system by
studying the function of its parts
Emergence – whole is more than the sum of its
parts
Emergent properties – properties that can be
observed at one level of biological organization and
CTM