Endotherms and ecotherms Flashcards
1
Q
WHy does temperature need to be controlled?
A
- enzymes controlling the rates of chemical reactions needed for life are very temperature sensitive
- each enzyme has an optimum temperature at which it works most efficiently
- if the temperature is too hgih the enzymes are denatured
2
Q
WHat is thermoregulation?
A
- an important aspect of homeostasis in many animals is the maintenance of a relatively constant core body temperature to maintain optimum enzyme activity
3
Q
What physical proccesses effect a organisms temperature?
A
- exothermic chemical reactions
- latent heat of evaporation - objects cool down as water evaporates from a surface
- radiation - the transmission of electromagnetic waves to matter
- convection - the heating and cooling by currents of fluids
- conduction - heating as a result of the collision of molecules
4
Q
What are ecotherms?
A
- most animals are ecotherms
- use their surrounding to warm their bodies
- ecotherms literally means ‘outside heat’
- core body temp. is heavly dependant on their environment
5
Q
Why do ecotherms living in water not need to thermoregulate?
A
- the high heat capacity of water means that the temperature of their environment does not change much
- air temperature dramatically changes
6
Q
What animals are endotherms?
A
- mammals and bird
7
Q
How do endotherms maintain their body temperature?
A
- rely on their metabolic proccesses to warm up and they usually maintain a very stable core body temperature regardless of the temperature of the environment
8
Q
What are the characterisitics of endotherms?
A
- have adaptation which enable them to maintain their body temperature and to take advantage of warmth from the environment
- endotherms survive in a wide range of environemnts
- keeping cold in hot conditions and hot in cold are both active processes
- 5x higher metabolic rate - need to consume more food
