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    An Introduction To Environmental Physiology

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    Lara Shaya
    This document provides an introduction to environmental physiology. It defines environmental physiology as the study of how organisms cope with and adapt to environmental variation through physiological mechanisms. It discusses the different scales of environmental variation including large-scale differences between habitats as well as finer-scale temporal and spatial variations within habitats. It also defines physiology as how living systems function through complex interactions between molecules, cells, tissues and organs. Environmental physiology examines how physiology responds to and is shaped by environmental factors and evolution.

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    An Introduction To Environmental Physiology

    Uploaded by

    Lara Shaya
    887 views2 pages
    This document provides an introduction to environmental physiology. It defines environmental physiology as the study of how organisms cope with and adapt to environmental variation through physiological mechanisms. It discusses the different scales of environmental variation including large-scale differences between habitats as well as finer-scale temporal and spatial variations within habitats. It also defines physiology as how living systems function through complex interactions between molecules, cells, tissues and organs. Environmental physiology examines how physiology responds to and is shaped by environmental factors and evolution.

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    An Introduction to Environmental Physiology

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    This document provides an introduction to environmental physiology. It defines environmental physiology as the study of how organisms cope with and adapt to environmental variation through physiological mechanisms. It discusses the different scales of environmental variation including large-scale differences between habitats as well as finer-scale temporal and spatial variations within habitats. It also defines physiology as how living systems function through complex interactions between molecules, cells, tissues and organs. Environmental physiology examines how physiology responds to and is shaped by environmental factors and evolution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    887 views2 pages

    An Introduction To Environmental Physiology

    Uploaded by

    Lara Shaya
    This document provides an introduction to environmental physiology. It defines environmental physiology as the study of how organisms cope with and adapt to environmental variation through physiological mechanisms. It discusses the different scales of environmental variation including large-scale differences between habitats as well as finer-scale temporal and spatial variations within habitats. It also defines physiology as how living systems function through complex interactions between molecules, cells, tissues and organs. Environmental physiology examines how physiology responds to and is shaped by environmental factors and evolution.

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    An Introduction to Environmental Physiology

    What do we Mean by ‘Environment’? – doesn’t strictly mean what the general public
    think of the term, eg. “save the environment”
     “The kind of habitat in which an organism lives”
     Variation in the environment can take the form of differences in:
    o Temperature
    o Availability of water
    o Availability of oxygen
    o Light levels
    o Availability of food
    o Social competition
    o Degree of predation risk

    Large-Scale Environmental Variation


     Example: Deserts vs. Tropical Rain Forests vs. Polar ice Caps
    Often thought of as “permanent” differences between habitats

    Smaller-Scale Environmental Variation


     Seasonal changes in temperature, salinity, or even resources
     Example: The rainy vs. the dry season in an African Savannah
     Summer vs. winter conditions in the temperate regions of North America
    Fine-Scale Environmental Variation
     Example: Fine temporal or spatial variation in an environmental factor such as
    temperature, salinity etc.
     Example: Season variation in lake thermoclines or[O2]
     Example: Spatial variation in the temperatures of hot spring generating specific
    niches for thermophiles (eg. Bacteria)

    What does ‘Physiology’ Mean?


     “How organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and bio-molecules carry out
    chemical or physical functions in a living system”
     “How all of the complex systems running your body are working”
     Often referred to as “physiological mechanisms”
     “How does our body function”
     Includes highly complex systems such as the endocrine (hormonal) and immune
    systems
     Metabolic rate, temperature regulation and metabolism
     Involves highly complex interactions and feedback loops between molecules,
    cells, tissues, and organs

    Physiology Responds to Environmental Variation


     Physiology acts within an ecological/environmental context
    Physiology is Highly Integrative
     Physiology: Integrates many different environmental inputs

    Physiology is Shaped by Evolution


     Physiological adaptations evolve if they increase fitness

    What is Environmental Physiology?


     Environmental physiology = Ecological physiology = Physiological
    Ecology
     “HOW” (i.e., mechanism) and WHY (i.e., evolution) do organisms cope
    with the problems posed, and the opportunities offered, by their particular
    environments”
     “The study of adaptation or adjustment to the environment”

    What Environmental Physiology Is


     We need to understand how these tools have evolved to enable specific organisms
    to survive and reproduce in response to environmental variation

    Physiological Adaptations to the Environment


     The Physiological Mechanisms that enable organisms to survive and reproduce
    within their particular environment
     “The study of physiological adaptation or adjustment to the environment”
     Just like other traits, physiological adaptations are shaped by evolution

    How Does Studying Environmental Physiology Benefit Humans?


     Erythropoeietin (EPO): hormone that regulates RBC production
     Enhanced secretion at high altitudes – seasonal altitudinal migration
     Endurance athletes train at high altitudes to increase [RBC]
     Injectable form used to treat medical anemia (low RBS count)
     Modern endurance athletes use it to increase [RBC]

    What Kind of Jobs do Environmental Physiologists Have?


     Extreme Medicine: medical doctors working in extreme environments
     Kinesiology: Exercise physiologists helping athletes to train more effectively or
    efficiently
     Research and Development: Designing human-made solutions based on
    organismal adaptations
     Academic Researchers: Trying to understand how physiological mechanisms have
    evolved

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