Courses offered at WSU

BIOL 350, Comparative Physiology. 4 units. Fall semesters.

This course covers molecular, cellular, organismal, and integrative aspects of animal physiology. The unifying themes of the course include the relationship between form and function, evolutionary pressures and the advantages and disadvantages of particular physiological strategies, the August Krogh principle (a.k.a. ‘unity in diversity’), and the interrelationships among hierarchical levels of physiological organization. Topics include: acclimation vs. acclimatization vs. adaptation, metabolism and energetics, gas transport and respiration, neural and endocrine systems, thermal physiology, water and ionic regulation, pH regulation, stress, and adaptations to extreme environments. Laboratory exercises emphasize quantitative analyses of physiological data using primarily invertebrate models.

BIOL 412, Biology of Fishes. 4 units. Spring semesters (Spring, 2025, 2027).

Evolution, identification, life history, organismal biology, and management of important fish species.

BIOL 561, Environmental Physiology. 3 units (graduate level). Spring semester alternate years (Spring 2026, 2028). 

Individual responses and evolutionary adaptations to changing environments with emphasis on recent literature.