Animal diversity and phylogeny as a framework for comparative
physiology
Learning objective:
1. Familiarity with the names and characteristics of the major animal phyla and selected representative species.
2. Knowledge of animal phylogenetic relationships (at the phylum level) and how a combination of molecular,
morphological and embryological data have been used to determine relationships.
3. Knowledge of Krogh’s principle as a basis for research in animal physiology (with examples).
What is comparative physiology?
Comparative physiology seeks to answer 2 central questions about how animals work:
1. What is the mechanism by which a function is accomplished? (how the biological system/animal as a whole
function?)
2. How did that mechanism come to be? (why do animals work the way they do)
Mechanistic physiology:
- the study of mechanisms
- how modern day animals carry out their functions.
Evolutionary physiology:
- The study of origin
- Why do modern-day animals possess the mechanisms they do?
- Compare animals and infer how process came to be
What is integrative physiology?
Seeks to understand animal function at all levels of organisation from the molecular to cellular and from
tissue/organ to whole animal behaviour
Its primary focus is on the integrating control system of physiology and behaviour
- Nervous system
- Endocrine system Control systems (control activity)
First half of the module will be on integrative physiology and second half on comparative physiology for Elphicks
section.
3 topics for the first half of the module
1. Animal diversity- the experimental ‘’material’’ for comparative physiologists
2. Animal phylogeny-an evolutionary framework for comparative physiology. Understanding animals today and in
the past allows us to understand how processes occur
3. Krogh’s principle
1. Animal diversity
In peter Holland’s book, he recognises 33 animal phyla
In zoology and physiology studying a tiny number of animals in detail due to abundance, medical or
economically pivotal.
Some of the major animal phyla and examples
1. Chordata- vertebrate, urochrodates, cephalochordates
2. Echinoderms-starfish
3. Annelids-earthworms, leeches
4. Molluscs- snails, mussels, octopus
5. Arthropods-insects, crustaceans, spiders
6. Nematodes-c.elegans
7. Cniderians-hydra, sea anemones
, Vertebrates belong to the phyla that includes invertebrates (urichordates and cephalochordates)
CHARLIE- CUV
EAT- STAR
APPLE- EL
M- SOM
A-I C SPIDER
N- C.elegans
C- SH
LO1. FAMILIARITY WITH THE NAMES & CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAJOR ANIMAL PHYLA & SELECTIVE
REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES
Now will look at anatomy of one animal from each phyla.
Urochordates- sea squirt
Urochordates are 1st closest relative to humans
Does not do much
Suck water from one opening and release from the second opening
Marine animal
Contains heart, reproductive organs, ganglion
No brain but has a neural ganglion
Can remove cerebral ganglion, later regrow, therefore good for studying neurogenerative diseases.
Ganglion= a structure containing a number of nerve cell bodies typically linked by synapses and often forming a
swelling on the nerve fibre and found outside the CNS and in the peripheral NS.
Genome sequenced in 2002
Cephalochordates-amphioxus
2nd closest relative to humans
physiology
Learning objective:
1. Familiarity with the names and characteristics of the major animal phyla and selected representative species.
2. Knowledge of animal phylogenetic relationships (at the phylum level) and how a combination of molecular,
morphological and embryological data have been used to determine relationships.
3. Knowledge of Krogh’s principle as a basis for research in animal physiology (with examples).
What is comparative physiology?
Comparative physiology seeks to answer 2 central questions about how animals work:
1. What is the mechanism by which a function is accomplished? (how the biological system/animal as a whole
function?)
2. How did that mechanism come to be? (why do animals work the way they do)
Mechanistic physiology:
- the study of mechanisms
- how modern day animals carry out their functions.
Evolutionary physiology:
- The study of origin
- Why do modern-day animals possess the mechanisms they do?
- Compare animals and infer how process came to be
What is integrative physiology?
Seeks to understand animal function at all levels of organisation from the molecular to cellular and from
tissue/organ to whole animal behaviour
Its primary focus is on the integrating control system of physiology and behaviour
- Nervous system
- Endocrine system Control systems (control activity)
First half of the module will be on integrative physiology and second half on comparative physiology for Elphicks
section.
3 topics for the first half of the module
1. Animal diversity- the experimental ‘’material’’ for comparative physiologists
2. Animal phylogeny-an evolutionary framework for comparative physiology. Understanding animals today and in
the past allows us to understand how processes occur
3. Krogh’s principle
1. Animal diversity
In peter Holland’s book, he recognises 33 animal phyla
In zoology and physiology studying a tiny number of animals in detail due to abundance, medical or
economically pivotal.
Some of the major animal phyla and examples
1. Chordata- vertebrate, urochrodates, cephalochordates
2. Echinoderms-starfish
3. Annelids-earthworms, leeches
4. Molluscs- snails, mussels, octopus
5. Arthropods-insects, crustaceans, spiders
6. Nematodes-c.elegans
7. Cniderians-hydra, sea anemones
, Vertebrates belong to the phyla that includes invertebrates (urichordates and cephalochordates)
CHARLIE- CUV
EAT- STAR
APPLE- EL
M- SOM
A-I C SPIDER
N- C.elegans
C- SH
LO1. FAMILIARITY WITH THE NAMES & CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAJOR ANIMAL PHYLA & SELECTIVE
REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES
Now will look at anatomy of one animal from each phyla.
Urochordates- sea squirt
Urochordates are 1st closest relative to humans
Does not do much
Suck water from one opening and release from the second opening
Marine animal
Contains heart, reproductive organs, ganglion
No brain but has a neural ganglion
Can remove cerebral ganglion, later regrow, therefore good for studying neurogenerative diseases.
Ganglion= a structure containing a number of nerve cell bodies typically linked by synapses and often forming a
swelling on the nerve fibre and found outside the CNS and in the peripheral NS.
Genome sequenced in 2002
Cephalochordates-amphioxus
2nd closest relative to humans
