A Comparative Animal Physiology Teaching Laboratory That Explores Cellular, Systems and Organismal Physiological Phenomena

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This project enhances the training of upper-division undergraduate students in the broad field of comparative animal physiology. The goal is to develop a comprehensive comparative physiology curriculum where students employ modern equipment and techniques to study all levels of physiological organization. The new equipment being used to introduce students to cellular and whole animal physiology makes it possible to offer more rigorous and up-to-date exercises for students taking the animal physiology course and to increase the sophistication of, and possibilities for, senior thesis research projects. At the cellular level, the new amplifiers enable students to perform intracellular recordings and study basic principles of cellular and membrane physiology. At the organismal level, the oxygen analyzer enables students to determine the metabolic costs of small terrestrial animals during activity. The program design can be adapted to any biology program that emphasizes laboratory training, and the department is prepared to communicate the results of the laboratory innovations through presentations, publications, and the Internet. In summary, this project can improve the education of upper-level students in the core curriculum, provide a model physiology laboratory program for upper-division undergraduates, and enrich the possibilities for substantive collaborative student/faculty research. Finally, it is likely that this project can ultimately result in research publications that influence the field of comparative animal physiology.