Introduction to the Subject

BIOL30001 Reproductive Physiology

Reading: - LMS.unimelb.edu.au- Johnson MH (2013) Essential Reproduction 7th Edition, Wiley-Blackwell- Shaw G (2005) “Animal Reproduction” chap 19 in Biology: An Australian Focus, 4th edition. Knox et al. McGraw-Hill

Geoff Shaw Mark Green

Contact: BIOL30001@zoology.unimelb.edu.au

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

What proportion of Australian couples who want to have a child require medical intervention to conceive?

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

Where does the majority of human seminal fluid come from?

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

What is this organ and what does it do?

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

Is testosterone important for female reproduction?

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

Are germ cells infectious?

BIOL30001 Icebreaker Quiz

How many days is pregnancy in humans?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pregnancy_26_weeks_1.jpg

mice

sheep

bandicoots

Subject Outline

Focus on mammals

64,000 pubs in 2013 67,000 pubs in 2014

Knowledge of • Structure, function, and development of the

reproductive organs (Male & Female); • Endocrine and neuroendocrine and environmental

control of – reproduction, – mating, – fertilisation, – pregnancy, – parturition and – lactation in vertebrates; and

• Human intervention in the reproductive process• Common human reproductive diseases and disorders

Subject Outline

Subject Outline• Generic skills:

– Attain knowledge from lectures, tutorials, observation and the literature

– use that knowledge to evaluate and communicate results

– access information in primary scientific literature– abilities to evaluate scientific evidence critically– skills in data interpretation, and identifying

alternative explanations

• We will assess your understanding – note learning is not enough.

• Lectures- Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri– but Friday lec. slot mainly for tutes

(may run impromptu tutes in the extra slots)

• Tutorials– quizzes– structured learning exercises– raise questions on lecture content

Lecture: should NOT be “the process by which the notes of the lecturer become the notes of the student without passing through the mind of either”Focus on what is being said; ask questions…

• Assessment– 35% Seven online quizzes– 15% Literature review– 10% 50 minute mid-semester test– 40% end of semester exam

Electronic Communication

• Notices in the Announcements area in LMS• Emails (we will use your University of Melbourne

email address)• Electronic forums/discussion boards on LMS (feel

free to contribute to these)• Direct to us on

BIOL30001@zoology.unimelb.edu.au

Check all of these regularly!

Feedback

• Continuous assessment (e.g. online quizzes and mid-semester test)

• Lecture-time, tutes, quizzes & lit review assignment

• Seek us out at other times (but forgive us if we are busy)

**Please remember there are ~200 students in this subject**

Teaching Staff

Geoff Shaw, Rm 359Ph 8344 6267

Mark Green, Rm 354Ph 8344 4346

BIOL30001@zoology.unimelb.edu.au

Martin Johnson

Textbook

Co-ordinators

Guest Lecturers

Teaching Assistants

www.essentialreproduction.com

Time: 170 hTotal time commitmentTotal number of hours (contact hours plus non-contact time commitment) through the semester expected of a student with average preparation to successfully complete the subject and achieve an average mark. The total time commitment for 12.5 point undergraduate subjects is 170 hours

UOM Policy MPF1015

Time includes self study

Contact:34 lectures6 mandatory tutes7 Quizzes

Self Study:72 hours

PER WEEK:

4 hours

6 hours

10 hours

Aim to complete at least 10 hours study for BIOL30001EVERY WEEK including semester break and swot vac.

TIME: don’t rely on swotvac

• Don’t pretend that doing nothing in term then cramming for hours in swot vac is enough.

• This is a subject with a large amount of content, which is why we encourage you to review what you have learnt frequently (online quizzes).

TIME: keep up to date

• WE ASSUME in Lecture 2 that you know the material covered in Lecture 1; In lecture 3 we assume Lecture 1 & 2….

… make sure you keep up-to-date with your revision and self-assessment

TIME: do something every week

• Spread your time investment through the semester.

• We will encourage you to study regularly with approx. weekly quizzes (35% of assessment)

TIME: don’t get behind

• If you get behind you will never really catch up! Spend some time after EVERY lecture and tute consolidating what you have learned.

• Use your textbook, our notes on LMS, Echo360, or other books or resources.

BIOL30001 Reproductive Physiology

Patterns of Reproduction

Geoff ShawSchool of BioSciences

Reading: - Subject handbook- Shaw G (2005) “Animal Reproduction”. Chapter 18 in Knox et al. Biology 3rd Ed.- The world wide web…

Why Study Reproduction?

• Fundamental to life• Farming• Fascinating • Fun• Future of human civilization

Patterns of reproduction

• Asexual

• Sexual

Asexual• fission

• budding

• parthenogenesis

• no exchange of genetic information - clonal

hydra

aphids whiptail skink

Sexual

• Exchange of genetic information• bacteria etc.• 2 sexes – female / male + …?

• female – eggs – large embryo• male – sperm – small, motile • meiosis vs mitosis

sperm

fertilised wallaby egg

0.1 mm

protogyny

Variations on a theme

• Hermaphrodites

• Parthenogenesisprotandry

Question:

• what selective pressures may favour evolution of protandry vs protogyny?

Sex and the echiuroid worm Bonellia

Echiuroid worm - Bonellia• Female worm is rock dwelling • Male lives inside the female’s uterus &

fertilizes her eggs• If larva lands on sea floor becomes

female• If larva lands on the proboscis of a

female - chemical attractants emitted• Larva will enter females mouth, migrate

to the uterus and differentiate into a male

1 m

10 cm

3 mm

Rates of pregnancy birth and abortion

per 1000 women aged 15-19

in USA in the year 2010

Pregnancies: 57Births: 35Abortions: 15

source: Sedgh et al (2015) J Adol Health 56:223-230http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X14003875

Rates of pregnancy birth and abortion per 1000 women aged 15-19 in USA year 2010

pregnancies: 57 births: 34 abortions: 15

World Population Growth…<1% North America, Europe, Russia, Australia, NZ1-2% Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia2-3% many countries in Central America, Africa, PNG, Asia>3% many countries in Africa & Asia

Demographic patterns

Rapid growthKenyaNigeria

Saudi Arabia

Slow growthUS

AustraliaCanada

Zero growthDenmarkAustria

Italy

Negative growthGermanyBulgariaHungary

45-85+

15-44

0-14

Age

gro

up