Thermoregulation Flashcards
What is the coldest recorded temp on Earth?
-129 F in Antarctica
What is the hottest recorded temp on Earth?
136 F in Libya
What are two sources of heat into the body and one source of heat out?
IN: Metabolic Heat, Environmental Heat
OUT: Environmental Loss
Name two different classes of animals by response to changes in environment temperature (with short description)
Homeotherms: Animals that are capable of maintaining the same body temperature with changing environment
Poikilotherms: Animals that allow their body temperatures to fluctuate with changing environment
What are the two terms we use to describe animals by how they handle metabolic waste. What is the difference (with two trends)
Endotherms: generate heat as a by-product of metabolism. Typically: elevate body temperate above environment AND are well insulated
Ectotherms: Don’t produce much metabolic heat. Usually regulate body temperature by behavior (have high thermal conductance) AND are not well insulated
What is a term for an animal that is ENDOTHERMIC but not a HOMEOTHERM?
HETEROTHERM
What are the two types of heterotherms? How do they differ?
Temporal: Vary temperature over course of day
Regional: Maintain core temperature and allow periphery to vary
Using our terms, describe:
- Humans
- Birds
- Fish
- Reptiles
- Invertebrates
- Humans and birds: homeotherms, endotherms
- Invertebrates and Fish: Homeotherms, ectotherms
- Reptiles: Endotherms, poikilotherms
What are the four mechanisms of heat transfer?
1) Conduction
2) Convection
3) Evaporation
4) Radiation
Define CONDUCTION
Heat exchange requiring direct contact
Define CONVECTION
Heat exchange by movement of gas or liquid over body
Describe EVAPORATION. Give a metric for this form of heat loss
Heat loss due to conversion of a liquid to a vapor.
Converting 1g water to vapor uses 585 calories
Define RADIATION
Transfer of heat via infrared rays
Describe four ways in which animals adapt membranes in response to colder temperatures
1) Shorter chain length
2) Un-saturation (double bonds)
3) Changing polar head groups (phosphotidylcholine-> phosphotidylethanolamine)
4) More cholesterol (keeps membrane fluid at colder temps)
Name two Antarctic fish:
1) Trematomus borchgrevinki
2) Antarctic toothfish
Name two ways in which fish adapt to colder water:
1) Express different isoforms of LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE (works better at lower temps)
2) Anti-freeze proteins
What do the anti-freeze proteins do? How?
Prevent the nucleation of ice crystals in the body. Binds to ice crystals that are developing, thus stopping growth.
Name one fish that varies LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE
the Barracuda
What are two examples of animals that makes anti-freeze proteins?
1) Antarctic toothfish
2) Siberian Salamander
What’s a cool fact about Siberian Salamanders?
They can survive frozen in ice for years and then thaw out and walk away!
What is a commercial use of antifreeze protein?
Gives low fat ice cream the same texture and taste as high fat ice cream
What are two ways in which animals stay warm?
1) shivering
2) Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT)
How does shivering work?
The body stimulates the skeletal muscles to actively generate heat.
What is the process that brown adipose tissue uses? How does Brown Adipose Tissue work?
NON-SHIVERING THERMOGENESIS: It is highly vascularized and has large numbers of mitochondria. Stimulated sympathetically by norepinephrine, it increases the rate of oxidation of stored lipids, but uncoples this oxidative phosphorylation from the electron transport chain, so all energy is “lost” as heat.
What is the key protein that causes uncopling of the electron transport chain?
THERMOGENIN a.k.a. UCP 1
Do fish have BAT? Do they have non-shivering thermogenesis?
No BAT, no NST