Metabolism and Adverse Conditions

Question 1

Brief description on ‘adverse conditions’

Answer 1

Many environments vary beyond the tolerable limits for normal metabolic activity for any particular organism. Some animals have adapted to survive these adverse conditions while other avoid them.

Question 2

Describe ‘Dormancy’ for an organism?

Answer 2

Dormancy is a part of some organism’s life cycle to allow survival during a period when the costs of continued normal metabolic activity would be too high. The metabolic rate can be reduced during dormancy to save energy.

Question 3

During dormancy there is a decrease in what?

Answer 3

• Metabolic rate
• Heart rate
• breathing rate
• body temperature

Question 4

State the two types of dormancy?

Answer 4

Predictive & Consequential

Question 5

Describe predictive dormancy.

Answer 5

Predictive dormancy occurs before the onset of adverse conditions.

Question 6

Describe consequential dormancy.

Answer 6

Consequential dormancy occurs after the onset of adverse conditions.

Question 7

State examples of dormancy.

Answer 7

• Some mammals survive during winter/low temperature by hibernating.
• Aestivation allows survival in periods of high temperature or drought.
• Daily torpor is a period of reduced activity in some animals with high metabolic rates.

Question 8

Describe ‘Migration’ in organisms?

Answer 8

Migration avoids metabolic adversity by expanding energy to relocate to a more suitable environment.

Question 9

State two types of migratory behaviour?

Answer 9

Migratory behaviour can be innate or learned.

Question 10

Specialised techniques are used to study long-distance migration, give examples?

Answer 10

• example of specialist techniques are satellite tracking and leg rings.