| NBID70 |
Stress and Animal Welfare, 7,5 ECTS credits.
/Stress och djurvälfärd/
For:
ETH
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Prel. scheduled
hours: 120
Rec. self-study hours: 80
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Area of Education: Science
Main field of studies: Biology
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Advancement level
(G1, G2, A): A
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Aim:
Stress consists of an evolutionary highly conserved suite of physiological and behavioural reactions to challenges experienced during the life-time of an individual. It can cause short-term as well as long-term effects on the biology of an individual, and may affect a wide range of biological traits. This ranges from cognitive performance to reproduction. Understanding the biology of stress is therefore essential for understanding animal welfare of animals in captivity. The student will be able to describe the mechanisms, function, phylogeny and ontogeny of the stress system, with a focus on its consequences on biology and behaviour of domesticated animals and other animals in captivity. The student will develop a proficiency in finding, evaluating and compiling primary and secondary research literature on relevant topics. The student will improve her/his skills in both written and oral communication of results of relevant scientific data through literature searches in both written and oral form. Furthermore, the student will develop critical assessment ability, allowing proper scientific judgement of scientific data on stress biology. The student will furthermore develop skills in the theory and practice of physiological methods related to stress biology. The student will be able to prepare, design, carry out, analyse and present scientific studies on stress measurement. The student will develop proficiency in formulating hypotheses and predictions and to design the recordings in accordance with those. The student will improve her/his skills in both written and oral communication of his/her results.
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Prerequisites: (valid for students admitted to programmes within which the course is offered)
A bachelor's degree with a major in the field of biology, including at least 5 ECTS credits in the field of physiology.
Note: Admission requirements for non-programme students usually also include admission requirements for the programme and threshhold requirements for progression within the programme, or corresponding.
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Organisation:
The course is composed of seminars, formal lectures and literature studies, and practical exercises. The lectures are intended to give an overview and structure to the different topics outlined below. The literature studies are intended to add depth and detail to the topics. A large part of the work will be carried out through independent self-studies, alone or in groups. The course also contains independent work in the form of practical lab work. If any extra costs arise due to travelling and living, these must be paid by the student.
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Course contents:
The course covers the following topics:
- History and context of the stress concept
- The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and its regulation
- The sympathetic-adrenal axis and its regulation
- Consequences of stress in different life-perspectives
- Chronic and acute stress
- Individual differences in stress responses: coping patterns
- Genetics and epigenetics of stress
- Methods for stress measurement and assessment
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Course literature:
Selected review papers.
Recommended course literature:
Moberg & Mench: The Biology of Animal stress, CABI Publishing.
Barnard et al; Asking questions in biology.
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Examination: |
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Seminar participation and submissions of hand-ins
Laboratory work
Home examination
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3 ECTS
2 ECTS
2,5 ECTS
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Grades on the whole course is determined by the grade on HEM1. |
Course language is English.
Department offering the course: IFM.
Director of Studies: Agneta Johansson
Examiner: Per Jensen
Link to the course homepage at the department
Course Syllabus in Swedish
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