Key Area 5: Metabolism In Adverse Conditions Flashcards
What does adverse conditions mean?
When the environment varies beyond the tolerable limits
Why is metabolic rate reduced in adverse conditions?
To conserve energy
What are the four ways animals survive adverse conditions?
- dormancy
- hibernation
- aestivation
- daily torper
What is dormancy?
A period of an organisms’ life where it’s growth, development or physical activity is reduced or temporarily stopped to reduce metabolic rate
What are the two types of dormancy?
- predictive (in advance of adverse conditions)
- consequential (as a result of adverse conditions)
What is hibernation?
A type of predictive dormancy where the organism reaches a sleep-like state to survive harsh winters (usually mammals)
What happens to metabolic rate during hibernation?
Metabolic rate is reduced by decreasing body temperature, heart rate and breathing rate
What is aestivation?
A consequential dormancy which allows organisms to survive harsh summer conditions (fish and invertebrates)
Give an example of aestivation
Snails seal themselves in dried mucus and bury deep into the river bed to reduce their metabolic rate
What is daily torper?
Type of dormancy that is cyclical within a 24 hour period to conserve energy for certain parts of the day
What happens to the metabolic rate during daily torper?
Reduces breathing rate, heart rate and body temperature drops to that of the surroundings (common in small birds and mammals with a high metabolic rate)
What is migration?
The regular movement of a species from one place to another to avoid adverse conditions
(Common in birds and mammals)
What do long distance migratory studies show?
- time of migration
- location of overwintering
- how long they live for
- whether or not they return
How can scientists mark organisms they are tracking?
- chipping
- tagging them
- coloured rings round their feet
Describe innate and learned migratory behaviour
- innate behaviour is inherited and inflexible
- learned behaviour is gained after birth from experience
Describe the displacement experiment and what it shows
During migration birds are captured Holland and taken to Switzerland where they are released again. Older birds redirected themselves by younger birds carried on to Spain
-shows innate in the young birds and learned in the older birds
Describe the cross-fostering experiment and what it shows
Eggs from two gulls were swapped at birth. The migratory chicks with the non-migratory parents still migrated and the non-migratory chicks with the migratory parents migrated with them
-shows innate in the migratory hills and learned in the non-migratory
Describe the investigating directional tendencies experiment and what it shows
Scientists hand reared gulls and put them in a funnel to see where they tried to go. The marks on the funnel were the same direction as they would normally migrate
-shows innate behaviour
What is an extremophile?
Organisms that live in extreme conditions that would be lethal to other organisms
Give an example of an extremophile
Thermophile
What is a thermophile and give and example?
Thermophile can withstand extreme temperatures like surviving in hot springs or sea-bed vents at 50-80’
How can scientists use thermophiles?
Heat resistant enzymes can be used in pcr
How do extremophile make ATP?
Taking high energy electrons from inorganic material like sulphide
