Cheviron, Zachary A.

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025 Spring 2-1-2024 BIOB 435.01 Comparative Animal Physiology Zachary A. Cheviron University of Montana, Missoula, zac.cheviron@umontana.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi2021-2025 Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Cheviron, Zachary A., "BIOB 435.01 Comparative Animal Physiology" (2024). University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025. 1820. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi2021-2025/1820 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. BIOB 435, Comparative Animal Physiology Tuesday & Thursday 12:30 – 1:50 in LA 234 Instructor:   Dr. Zachary Cheviron    Interdisciplinary Science Building 317        406-243-4496    zac.cheviron@mso.umt.edu TA:   Laura Blumensaadt (laura.blumensaadt@umconnect.umt.edu)     Office Hours:   2:00-3:00 Tues/Thurs or by appointment. Textbook. I do not require a textbook for this course. Instead, we will use papers from the primary literature as the text for this course. These readings will be posted weekly to the course moodle page (see below).   Learning Objectives. Traditional courses in animal physiology are often system- or organ-based surveys across major animal lineages. This course will cover these systems, but from a different perspective. We will focus instead on five primary environmental challenges that animals face in every habitat on the planet (temperature regulation, gas exchange, ion and water balance, nutrient acquisition, and sensing and responding to the environment). We will explore how evolution has produced solutions to these challenges, how these challenges may be exacerbated in our current era of rapid environmental challenge, and how the evolutionary history of these physiological systems may constrain or promote the ability of certain animal lineages to respond to these new challenges.   From this perspective, we will discuss a wide range of physiological systems. The course will also focus on primary literature and data therein, giving a more realistic view of science-as-a-process than textbooks or summary articles.  By the end of the semester, you will understand:  1.) the core principles in comparative animal physiology,  2.) the major physiological problems faced by animals in their environments,  3.) common evolutionary solutions to those problems,  4.) how an understanding of animal physiology can be used to better predict which animal groups might be more or less sensitive to rapid environmental change.  Course Structure & Style. This is an upper-division course. As such, there will be less formal lecturing and more in-class discussions than you may have had in your previous courses. Some periods, I’ll lecture for a good portion of the meeting. Other periods students will lead lectures. When we’re not lecturing, we’ll read and discuss papers, calculate answers to quantitative problems, and potentially do simple demonstrations in class. This style will have the consequence of putting the responsibility more on you to keep up with the readings we assign, and to be an active participant in the classroom. Course moodle page. There is one, and we will post all electronic media from the course to it. We will also keep the course gradebook on moodle so that you’ll always have access to up to date information on how you’re doing in the class. Evaluation. Your grade will be determined by your combined performance on: 1.) Paper Presentations (50 points 10% of your total grade) One of our primary learning objectives for this course is to equip you with the skills to systematically read, interpret, and critique papers in the primary literature. As a result, about half of our meeting periods will be devoted to discussing scientific articles on specific topics in comparative physiology. You, the students, will co-lead these discussions with me.  Each student will co-present one paper. Students will sign up to review a topic and work with me to lead a discussion of one particular paper.  Each paper discussion will open with a bried presentation from me that outlines the main motivations, approaches and results of the study; will be approximately 20 minutes long. The student co-presenter(s) will then use the remainder of the period to lead discussion on the focal paper. Students will also prepare a one-page handout for the class to use during the discussion portion of the presentation. These must be uploaded to the daily Moodle section 24 hours prior to the start of class. During the first few class periods, students will have the opportunity to choose a paper from a list that I provide. Don’t worry if the topics seem complex—a key goal of this class is to learn how to distill such complexity into something useful. I will start us off by giving the first paper presentation myself. This will enable students to see what is expected, and we will go over the rubrics for grade evaluation in class prior to the first student presentation.  2.) Class participation (50 pts. 10% of your total grade). Students will be graded on daily participation. For class periods with a paper discussion, non-presenting students must submit a completed discussion worksheet via Moodle, prior to the start of class. Students are expected to ask questions and/or contribute their perspectives during each discussion period. PLEASE REMEMBER that we are all here to learn together, and the more you participate, the more we can all learn, including me.  Paper discussions will often involve working in small groups on a series of discussion questions that the student co-leader will provide during the class period. Small groups will report their answers to the larger class and you will be graded on your participation in these group discussions. I will provide information on expectations for these activities prior to first paper discussion.  3.) Exams (300 pts. 60% of your total grade). There will be three exams over the course of the semester (See course schedule), each worth is 100 points (300 points total). Exams will contain both multiple-choice and short-answer questions. They will emphasize course content, information from the assigned papers, concepts we covered in our discussions, and intellectual synthesis. 4.) Term presentation (100 pts. 20% of your total grade). The final two class periods will be devoted to short presentations on a topic of your choosing in comparative physiology. The goals are to identify a question or subject in comparative physiology, discuss the historical record of research related to the area/question, discuss results of the latest research related to the area/question, and propose future experiments/research related to the area/question. I will provide example topics that you are free to choose if you would like, however, the more intellectually curious among you, may also present on topic of their own choosing (after clearing them with Dr. Cheviron). I expect all students to be at all presentations, and material presented in these presentations will be included in the final exam.  I will provide a detailed rubric and advice on structuring these presentations as the date draws nearer. Term presentations will be 15 minutes long and followed by a 5-minute question and answer period. The order of presentations will be made based on a drawing to be held in toward the middle of the semester. You will work with a partner on these presentations and they will be worth 100 points. Grading Scale. Grades will be assigned in the +/- system, according to the following scheme:     Communication. UM requires that all email communication between faculty and students use umontana or mso aliases. So I will only email you at your umontana address, and I would Component Points Weighting Exam 1 100 20% Exam 2 100 20% Exam 3 100 20% Participation 50 10% Paper Presentation 50 10% Term presentation 100 20% Total 500 100% Grade Percent of Total Points A 93-100% A- 90-92.99% B+ 87-89.99% B 83-86.99% B- 80-82.99% C+ 77-79.99% C 73-76.99% C- 70-72.99% D+ 67-69.99% D 63-66.99% D- 60-62.99% F Below 60% appreciate if you would email me only *from* your umontana address. Same for communication with the TA.  Attendance. Attendance is expected at all class meetings, with the exception of illness and official excused absences.  Credit/No Credit. Students interested in this option should see UM’s Academic Policies.  Audit. According to University policy, changing your grading option to audit is not allowed after the 15th day of instruction.  Incompletes. We will follow university policy on assigning incompletes.  Student Conduct. All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. Don’t do it! The penalties can be severe. The rules are laid out in UM’s Student Conduct Code.  Course policy on the use of generative AI. Generative AI tools are here to stay. These tools are certain to become increasingly important in our both our personal and professional lives. The challenge before us now is learning how to use them ethically and effectively. I believe AI tools can be effectively used to support learning, so long as you are aware of their strengths and limitations. As a result, you may use AI language models, including ChatGPT, as a resource to support your writing assignments in this course. However, their use must be constrained to a defined set of restrictions.  Generative AI tools can be particularly useful for offering alternative phrasing, helping to brainstorm ideas for your written work, or to perform an initial summary of a topic (sort of like a Google search on steroids). Despite their utility, these tools cannot substitute for your own critical thinking or creative thought processes. Do not rely on its suggestions, but instead use them to ‘get the ball rolling’ when you are stuck. Ultimately, you are responsible for the content and quality of your final written product. If you use AI tools to supplement your writing, it is your responsibility to critically evaluate their outputs for accuracy, bias, and relevancy.  Above all, your use of AI must be transparent, and your writing must remain original. Do not submit text generated by AI as your own. In many ways, the use of generative AI is not that much different than citing ideas and input from other outside sources. We’ve been citing other works for centuries, and we can use those standards and ethics to guide our use of AI in our modern writing as well. As such, all previous and outside input must be properly attributed, including citing outputs or text generated by ChatGPT. Please see the How to cite ChatGPT in APA Style resource.  Generative AI is just the latest tool to shake up our creative process. Before this, it was the internet. Just as the internet and searches of its content are a cornerstone of the modern intellectual process, generative AI will likely be embedded in our process in the future. As a result, we must learn to use these tools. I encourage you to experiment with them and learn from their suggestions. Remember, we’re all learning to navigate this new landscape together. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of AI in this course, please discuss them with me or your TA. Harassment. Harassment of any kind (sexual, racial, religious, disability-based, etc.) will not be tolerated in this class. If you feel that you are being harassed, please see me. In addition, there are many resources available on campus.  Make-up Exams. Make-up exams are not considered a right, but are reserved for students who are prevented from taking an examination on the originally scheduled date due to:  1. a documented illness,  2. or documentation of participation in a University-sanctioned activity  A. Documentation of participation in a University-sanctioned activity requires written communication from the University of Montana Office of Academic Advising.  B. Student athletes must provide this documentation to Dr. Cheviron in the first week of classes.  You must contact me before the scheduled time of the exam in order to communicate the nature of the problem you feel precludes you from taking it. Absolutely no make-up examinations will be scheduled if you have not communicated with me before the scheduled exam. Also, note that simply informing me that you will be absent does not constitute an excused absence.   Accessibility, disabilities, and special accommodations. The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and the Office for Disability Equity (ODE). If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability, please contact the ODE at (406) 243-2243/Aber Hall - Room 116, ode@umontana.edu, or visit www.umt.edu/disability for more information. Retroactive accommodation requests will not be honored, so please, do not delay. As your instructor, I will work with you and the ODE to implement an effective accommodation, and you are welcome to contact me privately if you wish. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations, you are advised to provide your ODE verification letter to your instructor in the first week of class so appropriate arrangements can be made. If you decide after the semester begins to disclose your disability and request accommodations, you should provide documentation, if possible, at least 10 days before the upcoming assessment so I may prepare appropriately. It is the responsibility of students to make sure they understand the types of modifications available to them before assessments. Religious holidays. Absence due to religious holiday will be excused, with appropriate policies applied. Please notify me about this by February 15.  Official extracurricular activity. Absence due to official extracurricular activity will be excused, with appropriate policies applied. Please notify me about this no less than one week prior to missed class(es). 

BIOB 435.01 Comparative Animal Physiology

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2862&context=syllabi2021-2025

BIOB 435.01 Comparative Animal Physiology

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