Ch. 8 - Environmental Adaptations

Question 1

What are the main two issues that mammals have to adapt to balance in extreme environments?

Answer 1

Thermoregulation and water balance

Question 2

This is the minimum amount of energy required to maintain constant body temperature

Answer 2

Basal metabolic rate

Question 3

Between what two temperatures is the basal metabolic rate found?

Answer 3

Upper and lower critical temperatures

Question 4

This zone is found between the upper and lower critical temperatures and is where basal metabolic rate is established

Answer 4

Thermal neutral zone

Question 5

What must mammals do below the LCT and above the UCT to maintain their temperatures?

Answer 5

Increase metabolic rate

Question 6

What is the Q10 effect?

Answer 6

For every increase in body temperature of 10 degrees, the metabolic rate doubles

Question 7

Are mammals stenothermic or eurythermic?

Answer 7

Stenothermic

Question 8

This describes an organism that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures

Answer 8

Eurythermic

Question 9

This describes an organism that can tolerate a narrow range of temperatures

Answer 9

Stenothermic

Question 10

This method of regulating body temperature requires physical contact with another solid

Answer 10

Conductive loss/gain

Question 11

This method of regulating body temperature involves contact with air

Answer 11

Convective loss/gain

Question 12

This rule states that animals in cold climates generally have shorter appendages

Answer 12

Allen’s rule

Question 13

This rule states that animals found nearer the equator are darker

Answer 13

Gloger’s rule

Question 14

This rule states that animals nearer to the poles are larger

Answer 14

Bergmann’s rule

Question 15

Many mammals in cold climates use this method to keep heat concentrated in their bodies

Answer 15

Countercurrent heat exchange

Question 16

What are arteries surrounded by in countercurrent heat exchange?

Answer 16

Veins

Question 17

What are the two forms of thermogenesis?

Answer 17

Shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis

Question 18

This type of highly enervated fat helps with non-shivering thermogenesis (particularly in bats)

Answer 18

Brown adipose tissue

Question 19

What are four examples of animals that use non-shivering thermogenesis?

Answer 19

Voles, shrews, mice, bats

Question 20

This vein lets cooled blood out of the brown adipose tissue in non-shivering thermogenesis

Answer 20

Sulzer’s vein

Question 21

Compared to white fat, does brown adipose tissue have higher or lower mitochondrial content?

Answer 21

Higher

Question 22

Compared to white fat, does brown adipose tissue have higher or lower vascularization?

Answer 22

Higher

Question 23

Compared to white fat, does brown adipose tissue have higher or lower O2 consumption?

Answer 23

Higher

Question 24

What are two ways of minimizing heat gain through evaporative cooling?

Answer 24

Sweating and panting

Question 25

What are two ways of minimizing heat gain through avoidance behaviors?

Answer 25

Nocturnality and flight

Question 26

This method of minimizing heat gain involves torpor

Answer 26

Estivation

Question 27

This method of minimizing heat gain involves arterial blood cooled by countercurrent heat exchange

Answer 27

Regional heterothermy

Question 28

What are two organs commonly cooled by regional heterothermy?

Answer 28

Brain and eyes

Question 29

What are three examples of animals that can tolerate body temperatures of 45 degrees celsius?

Answer 29

Gazelles, oryx, camels

Question 30

What are five methods of minimizing water loss?

Answer 30

Dietary water, nocturnality, subterranean habitats, estivation (daily torpor), flight (bats), waste concentration

Question 31

What are three eating strategies that take advantage of dietary water?

Answer 31

Nectarivory, granivory, and insectivory

Question 32

In arid-environment mammals, this part of the kidney is modified to increase urine concentration and reduce water loss

Answer 32

Nephron

Question 33

This part of the nephron is longer in arid mammal species, allowing for more water retention

Answer 33

Henle loop