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Teaching GuideTerm Faculty of Science |
| Grao en Bioloxía |
 Subjects |
| Functional Adaptations of Animals in the Environment |
| Contents |
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| Identifying Data | 2019/20 | |||||||||||||
| Subject | Functional Adaptations of Animals in the Environment | Code | 610G02037 | |||||||||||
| Study programme |
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| Descriptors | Cycle | Period | Year | Type | Credits | |||||||||
| Graduate | 2nd four-month period |
Fourth | Obligatory | 6 | ||||||||||
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| Topic | Sub-topic |
| MARINE ENVIRONMENT. Units 1-8 | Unit 1.- The marine environment. Factors affecting the distribution of fauna. Biotic divisions in the marine environment. Coastal, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal fauna. Unit 2.-Pelagic system: plankton and nekton. Plankton: spatial, temporal, and vertical distribution and, nictimerales migrations (meaning). Nekton: concept and composition. Unit 3.- Adaptations of plankton and nekton to the pelagic life. Plankton: suspension, buoyancy and swimming. Nekton: buoyancy, locomotion (propulsion and resistance reduction) and protection. Unit 4.- Respiratory and circulatory adjustments to prolonged diving: Circulatory adjustments, metabolic changes, O2 deposits, and hydrostatic pressure compensation. Unit 5.- The Benthos: coastal system and the deep system. Zonation. Factors affecting life in the intertidal area. Adaptations of intertidal organisms: dehydration, heat balance, mechanical stress, breathing, feeding, saline stress and reproduction. Unit 6.- Soft bottom areas: characteristics. Adaptation and classification of fauna: habitat, mobility, size and feeding. Life on hard bottom areas. Sessile organisms: adaptations, layout and flow of water. Suspension feeders on hard bottom surfaces. Herbivores and carnivores on hard bottoms. Unit 7.- Adaptations of the infauna to life in sediment: excavators and interstitial organisms. Feeding mechanisms. Burial and influence of animal activity in the sediment structure. Unit 8.- From the continental shelf to the deep-sea. Environmental stability in deep waters. The physical environment: general characteristics. Adaptations to food shortages, lack of light - vision - bioluminescence, colour, pressure, and feeding models, reproduction and growth. Deep benthos. |
| TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS. Units 9-15 | Unit 9.- Introduction to terrestrial environments. Characteristics of terrestrial environments as habitat for animals, in relation to aquatic ones. Main constraints of terrestrial environments for animal life. Unit 10.- Aquatic origin of life. Origin and evolution of land animals. First land animals. Main routes for the colonization of the terrestrial environments. Evolution of terrestrial animals. Categories of terrestrial animals. Interstitial, cryptozoic, hygrophilous and xerophilous fauna. Unit 11.- Factors affecting animal life on land. Main factors affecting animal life on land: topographic, edaphic, climatic and biotic factors. The human impact: man's influence on land environments and terrestrial animals. Unit 12.- Morphological adaptations to terrestrial life. Locomotive and mechanical adaptations of animals to terrestrial life. Size, shape and physical architecture of the animals on land. Unit 13.- Physiological adaptations to terrestrial life. Main physiological adaptations of animals to life on land. Respiration, skin and cuticles. Water saving in the excretion. Unit 14.- Reproductive adaptations to terrestrial environments. Constraints of the terrestrial environments for reproduction of animals. Adaptations for protecting gametes in land. Using drops of sperm and spermatophores. Internal insemination. Reproductive adaptations to protect the offsprings. Cleidoic eggs. Oviparous and viviparous animals. Postnatal parental care. Unit 15.- Animal adaptations to different terrestrial environments. Adaptive models: island populations. Adaptations of open herbaceous environments. Adaptation to seasonality. Adaptations to cold in Arctic, Antarctic environments and high mountains. Adaptations to drought and heat in arid environments. Other adaptations to terrestrial environments. |
| FRESHWATERS. Units 16-22 | Unit 16.- Freshwaters. Typology of inland waters. Lotic and lentic environments: general characteristics. Groundwater and other special environments. Unit 17.- Factors affecting the distribution of fauna: chemical characteristics of inland waters. River morphology and dynamics. Galician river ecosystems. Types of communities of organisms in aquatic environments. Unit 18.- Benthos (I). Benthic macroinvertebrates. Reproductive adaptations and life cycles. Feeding adaptations. Unit 19.- Benthos (II). Osmoregulation. The importance of temperature and the freezing problem. Respiratory adaptations. Adaptations to life in running waters. Unit 20.- Drift. Composition of drift. Temporal and spatial variations. Functions of drift. Compensating mechanisms of drift. Unit 21.- The neuston. Special features of the water surface. Major groups of neuston. General adaptations. Unit 22.- The nekton. Composition. Way of life. Feeding strategies. Physiological and behavioural adaptations related to migration and reproduction. |
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