Animal Structure and Function

How do animals work? This is the fundamental question behind the course Animal Structure and Function. Animals are extraordinarily complex and integrated multicellular organisms and differ from other multicellular organisms with significantly less integrated anatomy. Why do animals look the way they do? How have they been shaped by evolution, and why have they sometimes found completely different solutions to the same functional problems? Animal Structure and Function builds on the course The Evolution and Diversity of Organisms by examining various animal groups from a functional and evolutionary perspective. We will look closer at the different tissues and organs that make up their bodies, both as mechanisms and in relation to the animal's lifestyle. In addition to lectures, the course also includes practical elements, such as dissections of representatives from various animal groups. Here we try to use the most exciting and unusual dissection specimens, for example, hagfish, turtle, and badger. The exact selection varies from year to year but it is always interesting and educational. We also visit the Swedish west coast to study marine invertebrates. Is Animal Structure and Function the right course for you? It is professionally relevant for future biology teachers as well as anyone planning to work with or do research on animals. The field trip to the west coast of Sweden is planned to take place 6-14 November 2026.