Physiology Flashcards
How can hair reduce conductance?
Piloerection and seasonal moults
What is wrong with sweating?
Water and salt loss
What is Bergmann’s rule?
Body size increases with latitude/temperature
What is temporal heterothemy?
Times of the year/day where they can afford to be cooler to reduce energy budget
What is the lethal loss of water?
More than 20%
What is active cooling?
Energy expended in cooling
What is daily torpor?
Body temperature drops during the day
What is the formula for the cost of homeothermy?
VO2 = C(Tb - Ta)
How can ears aid evaporation?
Vascularisation, vasodilation, flapping
What is C?
conductance - rate of heat loss from body to the environment
What is interesting about Coyote BMR?
79% in desert. 126% in Alaska
What is endothermy?
The ability to maintain/generate heat through a combination of internal metabolic activity and physiological regulation
What are the costs of not thermoregulating?
Hyperthermia and Hypothermia
How does feeding at night conserve water in oryx?
Parched plants absorb moisture from the air. More water in plants at night
What factors determine conductance?
Insulation, body size and shape.
What is region heterothermy?
Parts of the body maintained at cooler temperature to reduce the cost.
How does migration reduce energy expenditure?
Minimised Tb-Ta
Which animals retain body heat longer?
Larger body size
How does body shape affect heat loss and energy costs?
Long thin animals = low surface area: volume ratio
What is Allen’s Rule?
Animals living in more extreme environmental conditions have smaller limbs
What is Ta?
Ambient temperature
How is an oryx heat and drought tolerant?
Relies on metabolic water, seeks shade