#comparative physiology

[er-cryptid]

Precapillary Sphincter

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[willowcatkinblossom]

I learned something super creepy today in comp phys and I can't believe no one bothered to tell me it back in anatomy. Anyway...it’s a bit morbid if that’s not your thing so:

If you cut out someone’s heart, it’ll continue to beat for a long time because the electrical system is really amazing and maintains the rhythmic pattern.  

[er-cryptid]

Tonic vs Phasic Smooth Muscle

Tonic Smooth Muscle -- always partially contracted -- relatively low resting potential

Phasic Smooth Muscle -- contracts in bursts -- triggered by action potentials

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[er-cryptid]

Neuron Structure Vocabulary

Neuron -- nerve cell -- basic functional and structural unit of the nervous system

Action Potentials -- electrochemical signals -- drive the nervous system

Soma -- central cell body of a neuron

Bipolar Neuron -- neuron with one dendrite

Multipolar Neuron -- neuron with many dendrites

Synaptic Knobs -- form connections with target cells

Synaptic Cleft -- small gap after the synaptic knob

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[bodyparks]

comparative physiology suggests that there are major differences that are dutifully expressed through the dissection of animals, and humans. this method of study is important because of the insight that is gained through comparing humans to animals.

 like understanding that animals with different vertebrates have very different structures concerning the position, where the aorta is located and how it is shaped and even as far as understanding why they are formed and shaped that way horses have flat, large grooved teeth so that they can chew grass, hay, leaves, as much as possible so that the nutrients that is taken in, does not get lost in the waste.

in the bottom photo of the dissected frog, we can identify the heart and see that it is shaped like a thin oval much like the diagram that shows the amphibian heart. 

through comparative physiology, we can identify multiple organs of multiple species. and furthermore give a better understanding of our own bodies

[indysea]

This month I've been selected be the guest editor for my department's Facebook page and imbue it with the theme of Physiology. I do, after all, study comparative physiology to an extent. My thesis will be about sea urchin photosensitivity and visual abilities and so you could categorize what I study under several broader or narrower umbrellas: visual ecology, behavioral ecology, sensory biology, ecological physiology, or comparative physiology. That's far too many labels for me. 

Anyway, that's not the point of all of this. I'll be posting throughout the rest of January on the UCLA Ecology and Environmental Biology Facebook page about interesting physiological phenomena. Check back frequently or like the page on Facebook to get all the stories!

My first post, below. (Original link here.)

Welcome to the January of Physiology Posted by Julia Notar, EEB Guest Editor

Hello there! My name is Julia and I’m a first year master’s student studying comparative physiology. Specifically, I am looking at sea urchin visual ecology, or how sea urchins use light to navigate their environments. No, sea urchins don’t have eyes, but they do react quickly to light and dark! My goal is to find out how much light they need to navigate and whether this ability is influenced by the depth at which a species lives. I’ve added a few pictures, so you can see what I do in the field and lab!

I find physiology really fascinating because it's all about what you can't see. It's all the hidden processes that are going on inside an animal all the time, the way our cells are metabolizing our breakfasts right now without us even thinking about it.

It's also about putting yourself in the shoes (so to speak) of another creature. What is it like to see like a mantis shrimp? How thirsty do you get if you're a camel? How cold is too cold if you're an Arctic fish? If a whale sings at the wrong frequency, can other the whales understand it?

Every environment poses different physiological challenges to its inhabitants. Sometimes we, as scientists, are good at predicting what those challenges might be and how animals might "solve" them. Other times it's a total surprise, which is the best of all.

[wedoscience]

How are humans related to other mammals?  What health issues do we share?  Rough Rock Community School, Rough Rock, AZ, 2009  Donna DeNoble, Science teacher.

[wedoscience]

An accidental double exposure of Kelly, a molecular biologist, and James, a comparative physiologist, both in the middle of experiments in the Social Insect Research Group in Arizona.

Photo by James Waters and CJ Klok.