BIOEE 4660

Physiological Ecology, Lectures

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Detailed survey of how physiological processes help organisms meet the challenges of their environment. Lectures explore physiological adaptation, thermal biology, respiration and oxygen transport, resource acquisition and allocation, water use and limitation, energetics and nutrition, hormones, stress physiology, and developmental physiology. Readings draw from the primary literature and textbooks.

Prerequisites BIOEE 1610 or BIOG 1440 or BIOAP 3110 or permission of instructor.

Distribution Requirements (BSC-AG, OPHLS-AG, SCH-AG), (BIO-AS)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2023SP, 2020SP, 2018SP

Learning Outcomes

• Describe how key environmental factors, including temperature, water, and nutrient availability, affect physiological function.
• Recognize physiological adaptation to the environment in animals.
• Describe the physiological stress response, and how it differs across environments.
• Evaluate physiological adaptations to life history strategies.
• Read, evaluate, and present relevant papers from the primary literature.
• Independently plan and present physiological ecological experiments.

View Enrollment Information