36
Animal life has adapted to survive in the most unlikely and inhospitable habitats.
FREE
This course includes
Hours of videos
11 hours, 31 minutes
Units & Quizzes
20
Unlimited Lifetime access
Access on mobile app
Certificate of Completion
This course, Animals at the extremes: the desert environment, looks at the surprisingly diverse desert climates throughout the world and mammals, birds, lizards and amphibians that survive there. It splits these animals into three groups according to their strategy for survival: evaders, evaporators and endurers, then discusses how these strategies work on a biochemical and physiological level.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- Define and use, or recognise definitions and applications of, each of the bold terms
- Provide examples that show there is a continuum of desert climates and environments that link to diversity of flora and fauna
- Explain, with examples, the thermoregulatory strategies of evaders, evaporators and endurers, and interpret relevant data
- Describe the importance of integration of behaviour, anatomy, physiology and biochemistry in the study of animals that live in deserts
- Explain physiological mechanisms of water conservation and cooling in named evaders, evaporators and endurers, and interpret relevant data.
Course Currilcum
- Introduction 00:05:00
- Learning outcomes 00:10:00
- The desert climate: An introduction 00:01:00
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- Introduction 00:15:00
- How animals interact with the environment is affected by their body size 00:15:00
- Behavioural strategies of evaders 01:15:00
- Behavioural strategies of evaporators 00:30:00
- Behavioural strategies of endurers 00:20:00
- Summary of Section 00:10:00
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- Introduction 00:10:00
- Integration of anatomy and behaviour with biochemical and physiological strategies in evaders 01:30:00
- Integration of anatomical features and biochemical and physiological strategies in evaporators 01:00:00
- Integration of anatomical features and biochemical and physiological strategies in endurers 01:00:00
- Summary of Section 00:10:00
- Heat-shock proteins 01:00:00
- Summary of Section 00:10:00
- Integrating across species 00:40:00
- Phylogeny and cladistic analysis 01:00:00
- Conclusion 00:20:00
- Questions 01:30:00
