Temperature Relations

Question 1

temperature

Answer 1

a measure of the average kinetic energy of molecules in a mass of substance

Question 2

heat

Answer 2

the kinetic energy of a substance

Question 3

niche, fundamental and realised

Answer 3

niche: the limits of environmental variables in which individuals survive, grow and reproduce
fundamental: largest niche (no competition)
realised: actual niche (smaller)

Question 4

macro climate

Answer 4

they interact with local landscapes to produce microclimates. may be less important than a microclimate to an organism

Question 5

examples of macroclimate

Answer 5

prevailing weather conditions over a long period of time

• sun’s uneven heating of earth
• interacts with altitude, aspect, vegetation, colour of ground and boulders
• these produce microclimates

Question 6

why do aquatic environments have thermal stability?

Answer 6

water has specific heat capacity, latent heat of vaporisation and latent heat of fusion

Question 7

evolutionary trade-off

Answer 7

adapting to one set of environmental conditions reduces a population’s fitness to others

Question 8

principle of allocation

Answer 8

evolutionary trade-offs are inevitable since organisms have access to limited amounts of energy
- bacteria that live at 20 degrees cannot live at 40 degrees

Question 9

optimum temperatures

Answer 9

most species preform best in a fairly narrow temperature range. extreme temperatures affect functioning of enzymes

Question 10

metabolisable energy intake equation

Answer 10

MEI = C - F - U
C - energy consumed
F - feces
U - uric acid

Question 11

photosynthesis rate

Answer 11

rate peaks in a range of temperatures (optimum range)

Question 12

acclimation

Answer 12

physiological changes in response to temperature

• how plants can respond
• used in changing seasons

Question 13

what contributes to a species optimal temperatures?

Answer 13

distributions of species and evolutionary histories

Question 14

regulating body temperature

Answer 14

many organisms have evolved ways to compensate for variations in environmental temperature by regulating body temperature

Question 15

metabolic heat

Answer 15

energy released from cellular respiration

Question 16

conduction

Answer 16

transfer of heat between objects that touch

Question 17

convection

Answer 17

heat flow between a solid and a moving fluid (person and cold wind)

Question 18

poikilotherms

Answer 18

organisms that do not regulate body temperature

Question 19

ectotherms

Answer 19

animals that rely on an external energy source to regulate temperature

• plants and ectotherms use morphology and behaviour to regulate temp
• leaves reflect radiation
• small leaves = large convection

Question 20

endotherms

Answer 20

organisms that rely on metabolic heat energy - shiver, release hormones etc.

Question 21

thermal neutral zone

Answer 21

range of temperatures where metabolism stays stable

Question 22

homeotherms

Answer 22

use metabolic energy for temperature - birds, mammals, some deep-sea fish

• insulated by fat
• don’t expose respiratory surface to ocean
• countercurrent heat exchangers on exposed limbs

Question 23

flying insects and some fish heat themselves…

Answer 23

by selectively heating parts of their anatomy

Question 24

how do some organisms survive extreme temperatures?

Answer 24

entering a resting stage

Question 25

inactivity

Answer 25

• resting in a sheltered space

- survive extreme temperatures

Question 26

torpor

Answer 26

low metabolic rate and lowered body temperature when food is scarce and nights are cold - hummingbirds

Question 27

hibernation

Answer 27

reduced metabolism for several months over winter

Question 28

estivation

Answer 28

hibernation for summer