BBIO114
Animal & Plant Physiology 1: Transport and Gas Exchange

ECTS Value: 3 ECTS

Contact Hours: 15

Self Study Hours: 36

Assessment Hours: 24

 

Overall Objectives and Outcomes

This module is the first of three modules tackling animal (mostly human) and plant (exclusively angiosperm) anatomy and the relationship with physiology, mode of life, and habitat. This module will focus on understanding life mechanisms pertaining to the human cardiovascular system, vascular transport systems in dicotyledonous flowering plants (angiosperms), the human respiratory system and gas exchange in plants. 

Apart from covering a fundamental, comprehensive and in-depth body of knowledge about the above-mentioned topics, this module will seek to make links with everyday-life biology as well as the context of the Maltese Islands wherever applicable.

The depth of knowledge, concepts, competencies and processes covered and assessed by this module, will be more than adequate so as to ensure that course participants are not only ready to plan lessons covering content and processes about these topics with their prospective students at secondary and post-secondary level, but also to be able to answer impromptu higher-order questions about biological phenomena as they may arise in class.

Sub-topics to be tackled will include:

  1. A brief introduction to vertebrate circulatory systems.
  2. Major features and functions of the human heart, blood and blood vessels.
  3. Blood groups and red cell antigens.
  4. Structure and functions of the lymphatic system.
  5. An introduction to plant body organization.
  6. Transport of water, minerals and sugars in plants.
  7. An introduction to evolutionary adaptations of gas exchange.
  8. Major features and functions of the human respiratory system.
  9. Leaf structure and gas exchange in plants.

By the end of this module, the learner will be able to:

Competences

  • a)Assess how transport and gas exchange mechanisms are adapted to the needs of organisms in varying environmental conditions;
  • b)Design experiments that investigate the efficiency of physiological processes such as gas exchange and nutrient transport;
  • c)Confidently convey knowledge, concepts and scientific processes about the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the root, leaf, and stem in dicotyledonous flowering plants, to a group of students at secondary or post-secondary educational level;
  • d)Model the transport systems of plants and animals, simulating physiological processes and interpreting the results in a biological context;
  • e)Critically engage in animal and plant physiology literature;
  • f)Produce detailed teaching resources and assessments that facilitate student learning of physiological systems in plants and animals.
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Knowledge

  • a)Recall the anatomical structures involved in transport and gas exchange in both animals and plants;
  • b)Explain the physiological processes of oxygen and nutrient transport in plants and animals, highlighting key mechanisms such as the cardiovascular system and xylem/phloem systems;
  • c)Describe biological phenomena related to the human cardiovascular system, the root and stem in dicotyledonous flowering plants, the human respiratory system and the leaf in plants;
  • d)Compare the human cardiovascular system, the root and stem in dicotyledonous flowering plants, the human respiratory system and the leaf in plants;
  • e)Differentiate between assessment types suitable for evaluating knowledge of transport systems in animals and plants.
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Skills

  • a)Organise information drawn from textbooks, journals, videos and online sources while building on prior learning;
  • b)Conduct experiments to analyse the efficiency of gas exchange in animals and plants, using scientific equipment and data collection techniques;
  • c)Draw annotated diagrams illustrating transport and gas exchange structures;
  • d)Employ laboratory techniques during a practical investigation and/or dissection to report about one or more aspects of animal and/or plant physiology covered in this module;
  • e)Collaborate effectively within a group, wherever the number of course participants allows for effective group work;
  • f)Design instructional sessions and assessments to develop student understanding of comparative physiology and system functions.
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Assessment Methods

This module will be assessed through: Assignment, Presentation and Laboratory Practical Report

Suggested Readings

Core Reading List

  • Fox S.I., (2021), Human Physiology, 16th Edition, McGraw-Hill.
  • Taiz L. & Zeiger E., (2022), Plant Physiology, 7th Edition, Sinauer Associates.

Supplementary Reading List

  1. Audesirk T., Audesirk G., & Byers B.E., (2020), Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology 12th Edition, Pearson.
  2. Mauseth J. D., (2019), Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology: An Introduction to Plant Biology , 7th Edition, Jones and Bartlett Learning
  3. Randall D., Burggren, W. & French, K., (2001), Eckert Animal Physiology – Mechanisms and Adaptations, 5th edition, W.H. Freeman.
  4. Raven P.H, Evert R.F. & Eichhorn S.E., (2012), Biology of Plants, 8th Edition, W. H. Freeman.

 

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