Metabolism and survival Key area 5: Metabolism and adverse conditions Flashcards
What causes challenges in maintaining body conditions within tolerable conditions?
The range of weather conditions ( extreme heat to extreme cold) and lack of food in the winter.
Evolution and natural selection have allowed animals to adapt to life, what are these?
Structural adaptations
Physiological adaptations
Behavioral adaptations
What are examples of structural adaptations?
Body size - birds and animals are larger in colder climates.
Appendages - tend to be smaller in colder regions
Insulation - a layer of air trapped by fur or feathers provides an animal with good insulation.
Colour of fur plumage - many bids and mammals undergo seasonal changes. For example the hare and the ptarmigan change from brown to white in winter.
What are examples of physiological changes?
Diapause - commonly found in insects. It’s a period during which growth and development re suspended and metabolism decreased.
Brumation - It’s a form of dormancy similar to hibernation found in “cold blooded” animals such as reptiles.
Give examples of behavioral adaptations.
Dormancy - this is a period when growth and development of an organism is arrested and the organisms normal metabolic rate decreases to the minimum required to keep cells alive.
What can dormancy be?
predictive - dormancy occurs before onset of adverse conditions. Signaled by decreasing day length.
Consequential - dormancy occurs after onset of adverse conditions. Common in areas where the climate is unpredictable . This is riskier as an unexpected change in conditions could result in death before dormancy can begin.
Dormancy in animals falls into two types, what are these two types?
Hibernation and Aestivation.
What is hibernation?
It is winter sleep in which animals passes the winter period in dormant conditions. The animals rests in a warm place. It is of longer duration and lasts for the whole duration of winter. Both warm blooded and cold blooded animals may exhibit hibernation. Several insects, small birds and animals, kangaroo, mouse and bats.
What is Aestivation?
It is summer sleep. Animals rest in hot dry, day time as nights are cooler. Aestivation are snails, earthworms, bees frogs and toads, lizards, crocodiles, and hedgehogs.
What is migration?
Migration is the regular movements of members of a species from one region to another over a long distance.
Migratory behavior is innate, what does this mean?
It means it is inherited and flexible. This means it is carried out in the same way by all members of the species.
What is daily torpor?
Daily torpor is the reduction in the organisms metabolic rate and activity levels for part of every 24 hours.
What is daily torpor common in?
It’s common in birds and animals. It reduces the rate of energy consumption at a time of day when faraging/ hunting would be unsuccessful and or dangerous.
Does sleep = torpor?
No!
In sleep what do we reduce?
Our body temperature but only by a few degrees
