Biology 264 - Form and Function

Functional morphology is the study of how organisms work. It integrates comparative anatomy and biomechanics in an ecological and evolutionary framework. The course begins with basic principles of evolutionary theory and biomechanics, before turning to the fundamental importance of body size and metabolism in governing nearly all aspects of animal biology. We then focus on how animals feed and move (running, jumping, swimming, climbing, gliding, and flying) using examples of both living and extinct species. Finally, we touch on examples of human innovation inspired by animal morphology. The course uses a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and discussions of articles from the primary literature. Three hours of lecture/discussion per week.

Requisite: Students registering for BIOL 264 must have taken BIOL 181.  Not open to first-year students. Limited to 24 students. Spring Semester. Professor Clotfelter.