Description: This specialized senior level course (fully 'on line') will compare and contrast the physiological and anatomical adaptations for diving experienced by the different species of marine mammals in contrast to humans, by reviewing key relevant papers from the literature. In order to accomplish this, the following areas will be explored in depth: physiologic and anatomic adaptation of the skeleton/musculature that facilitates swimming, overview of diving and its effects in humans; diving and marine mammals - what makes them so special; overview of human vs marine mammal cardiac and vascular physiology; their structural adaptations to facilitate diving; comparative lung physiology adapted to diving; blood and tissue oxygen carrying capacity; comparative deep diving systemic effects. Where relevant, the application of this knowledge to human health issues will also be discussed. Course lectures provide guidance to the student, who will then extract the key physiological facts from published scientific articles specifically selected for this course.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course, students should normally:
-have a new appreciation of how physiological principals govern adaptations that facilitate diving capabilities.
-have acquired an understanding of current human limitations impacting diving and medical consequences.
-have a new appreciation of how the now accepted physiology facts found in textbooks originally were discovered.
-begin to develop skills on how to extract relevant physiological information from scientific articles.
-have learned some cool advanced comparative marine mammal physiology.
term test 1,2 & 3 = 30%
final essay = 40%
weekly assignments = 30%
Additional Notes: Suitability for Inclusion in Programs: This half-course would be included as an option in the Physiology programs. It would also be suitable for the Human Biology Major, the Biology programs, and the Comparative Animal Physiology program
