Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Copenhagen offers a Bachelor's program in Biology, which includes a course in Zoophysiology (Zoofys). The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the physiological adaptations and acclimatizations of animals.

Course Description

The course in Zoophysiology (Zoofys) is a 7.5 ECTS program that covers various topics, including:

• Homeostasis
• Energy metabolism
• Food intake and movement
• Osmoregulation and excretion
• Respiration and circulation
• Daily rhythms
• Estivation and hibernation

Learning Objectives

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

• Understand and reflect on the concepts and mechanisms of physiological adaptation and acclimatization at the genome, cell, and organ levels
• Propose experimental protocols to investigate zoophysiological problems
• Perform basic zoophysiological calculations and experiments
• Explain and discuss the mechanisms of physiological adaptations and acclimatizations at the genome, cell, and organ levels

Teaching Methods

The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, practical exercises, and data analysis.

Workload

The total workload for the course is 206 hours, which includes:

• Preparation: 144 hours
• Lectures: 21 hours
• Practical exercises: 28 hours
• Theoretical exercises: 12 hours
• Examination: 1 hour

Examination

The examination will be a 30-minute oral exam with 30 minutes of preparation time. All aids are allowed, and the examination will be assessed on a 7-point scale.

Assessment Criteria

To achieve a grade of 12, students must be able to:

• Describe the structural and functional composition of a eukaryotic cell and relate function to structure
• Distinguish between active transport, passive transport/diffusion, co-transport, and counter-transport, and propose experimental methods to demonstrate these in cells and epithelial tissue
• Quantitatively account for the physico-chemical mechanisms that maintain ion gradients across cell membranes and evaluate the significance of these gradients at the cellular and organismal levels
• Apply the mathematical expression for Michaelis-Menten kinetics, derive kinetic constants from a given process with saturation kinetics, and evaluate the physiological significance of these constants
• Explain and provide examples of the concepts of thermodynamic equilibrium, electrochemical potential, steady state, homeostasis, and feedback regulation
• Describe the composition of the macromolecules mentioned in the curriculum and their cellular regulation and function at the cellular and organ levels
• Describe qualitatively the following physiological topics included in the curriculum: energy metabolism, food intake, movement, osmoregulation, excretion, respiration, and circulation
• Relate daily rhythms, cryptobiosis, estivation, and hibernation to changing external environments and describe the adaptation of energy metabolism at the organ and cellular levels
• Distinguish between the concepts of physiological adaptation and physiological acclimatization
• Analyze physiological adaptation and acclimatization at the genome, cell, and organismal levels
• Evaluate the adaptation of species to the physical-chemical conditions of their environment, using examples of aquatic and terrestrial organisms
• Propose an experimental method and describe a protocol to investigate a cellular process and the function of a cell and an organ
• With provided figure material showing graphs and/or anatomical and ultrastructural information, explain and analyze the physiological reactions of an organ or organism to given external influences in the laboratory or in the natural environment

Course Information

• Language: Danish
• Course code: NBIA04054U
• ECTS points: 7.5
• Level: Bachelor
• Duration: 1 block
• Placement: Block 4
• Schedule group: A (Tuesday 8-12 + Thursday 8-17)
• Course capacity: Maximum 75 participants
• Further education: Yes
• Study board: Study board for Biology and Animal Science

Responsible Institute

• Biological Institute

Course Responsible

• Nadja Møbjerg

Teachers

• Morten Schiøtt
• Carsten Juel
• Henriette Pilegaard
• Nadja Møbjerg