| Unit name | Animal and Plant Physiology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOL20022 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Dietrich |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Physiology is an exciting sub-discipline of biology that focuses on understanding how mechanisms of living organisms function. The integration of molecular, cellular, systems and whole-body function is central to physiology and essential for understanding how organisms function in their habitats and respond to challenges, such as availability of resources or changes to their environment. You will explore physiological mechanisms related to nutrition, water balance and hormonal regulation, with an emphasis on identifying similarities and differences between animals and plants. A key aim will be to explore the adaptability of these mechanisms in response to challenges from the environment, for example high or low temperatures, or anoxia caused be flooding or high altitude. Understanding the limits of these mechanisms is essential in face of the current climate crisis.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit will give you a solid grounding in physiological mechanisms that are important for understanding animal and plant responses to the environment at a more advanced level. Importantly, the unit also serves for more general development of critical skills, communication skills and practical skills required by you as a biologist, which will provide you with a basis for future study and which are sought after by employers well beyond biology. Attendance at the practical sessions for this unit is required.
An overview of content
This unit aims to:
This will be achieved by covering a range of physiology topics such as energy production and consumption, water economy, cellular and organismal respiration, transport processes and hormonal control in both animals and plants.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will understand the fundamental importance of physiological processes from molecular to whole-organism level. This unit will ensure that you have sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical skills to thrive in your future years of study, as well as providing you with the confidence to pursue careers in Biology and beyond. You will also see the personal value of developing a range of scientific communication skills either working alone or in small groups which will support you with future assessments, as well as increase your employability.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:
Lectures, directed reading, problem-solving activities based on practical lab work, independent study.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Quizzes and questions are integrated into the lectures and practical classes and will aid with testing your understanding of the content. There is a formative Teaching Resource assessment (produced by pairs of students) which is submitted in week 15, written feedback from this together with information from a feedback session in week 18 will support the submission of the summative Teaching Resource in week 21.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
| Weighting | Summative Assessment Information | Intended Learning Outcomes assessed |
| 60 % | Written essay format exam, taking place in Teaching Block 2 assessment period. | 1-5 |
| 40 % | Teaching Resource (produced as groupwork (pairs)) | 1-5 |
When assessment does not go to plan
Re-assessment of all summative work will be conducted in the re-assessment period and covers the same intended learning outcomes as the original assessment. Normally, if the Teaching Resource is missed, the same assessment task will be set with an alternative question. If the exam is missed, an alternative paper will be set in the reassessment period.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOL20022).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
