School: Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Ecophysiology
  • Unit Code

    SCI3114
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    3
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Quinton BURNHAM

Description

Ecological conditions are strong evolutionary drivers of physiological mechanisms required for survival and persistence of plants and animals. Through a comparative approach to physiology students will explore the diverse ways in which organisms have adapted to their environment. Note that practical activities in this unit include use of animals, animal products and/or tissues. Alternative activities are available for students with conscientious objection. All activities comply with Animal Welfare legislation and NHMRC Guidelines and, where appropriate, are approved by the ECU Animal Ethics Committee.

Prerequisite Rule

Must have passed SCI2116.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain comparative physiological and metabolic adaptations in animals and plants to a range of different environments.
  2. Execute an ecophysiological experiment.
  3. Interpret experimental results in terms of ecophysiological processes.
  4. Present key concepts and discipline knowledge gaps to an audience.
  5. Evaluate own and others' contributions to the community of practice in the unit.

Unit Content

  1. Mineral nutrition and water relations in plants; effects of radiation and temperature; scaling of gas exchange and energy balance.
  2. Ecological context of plant photosynthesis, respiration and translocation in plants.
  3. Ecological context of feeding strategies, digestion and respiration and locomotion in aquatic, terrestrial and aerial environments in animals; circulatory and respiratory systems in animals.
  4. Ion and water balance with respect to environment and diet selection in animals: iono- and osmoregulation, excretion, aestivation.
  5. Thermal physiology in animals: thermoregulation, torpor and hibernation.
  6. Environmental influences and adaptations in life cycles and growth.
  7. Hormonal (and neural) control mechanisms, growth regulation, development and responses to environmental cues.
  8. Symbiotic associations; allelopathy and defence; responses to pathogens.
  9. Conducting, analysing and reporting physiological experiments.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationGroup seminar presentation30%
Laboratory WorkLaboratory and practical reports40%
AssignmentKnowledge of theory30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

SCI3114|3|1

School: Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Ecophysiology
  • Unit Code

    SCI3114
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    3
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Quinton BURNHAM

Description

Ecological conditions are strong evolutionary drivers of physiological mechanisms required for survival and persistence of plants and animals. Through a comparative approach to physiology students will explore the diverse ways in which organisms have adapted to their environment. Note that practical activities in this unit include use of animals, animal products and/or tissues. Alternative activities are available for students with conscientious objection. All activities comply with Animal Welfare legislation and NHMRC Guidelines and, where appropriate, are approved by the ECU Animal Ethics Committee.

Prerequisite Rule

Must have passed SCI2116.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain comparative physiological and metabolic adaptations in animals and plants to a range of different environments.
  2. Execute an ecophysiological experiment.
  3. Interpret experimental results in terms of ecophysiological processes.
  4. Present key concepts and discipline knowledge gaps to an audience.
  5. Evaluate own and others' contributions to the community of practice in the unit.

Unit Content

  1. Mineral nutrition and water relations in plants; effects of radiation and temperature; scaling of gas exchange and energy balance.
  2. Ecological context of plant photosynthesis, respiration and translocation in plants.
  3. Ecological context of feeding strategies, digestion and respiration and locomotion in aquatic, terrestrial and aerial environments in animals; circulatory and respiratory systems in animals.
  4. Ion and water balance with respect to environment and diet selection in animals: iono- and osmoregulation, excretion, aestivation.
  5. Thermal physiology in animals: thermoregulation, torpor and hibernation.
  6. Environmental influences and adaptations in life cycles and growth.
  7. Hormonal (and neural) control mechanisms, growth regulation, development and responses to environmental cues.
  8. Symbiotic associations; allelopathy and defence; responses to pathogens.
  9. Conducting, analysing and reporting physiological experiments.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationGroup seminar presentation30%
Laboratory WorkLaboratory and practical reports40%
AssignmentKnowledge of theory30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

SCI3114|3|2