18 Questions
What is the significance of the left end of each bar in the diagram?
The ambient temperature at which the minimal resting metabolic heat production starts to increase.
What is the process called when an individual organism adjusts to a gradual change in its external environment, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions?
Acclimatization
What is the upper lethal limit of a fish kept at 30°C?
38°C
What is the difference in temperature tolerance between different species and the same species at different seasons?
The range of tolerance is different
What is the term for the range of temperatures that an organism can tolerate?
Range of tolerance
What is the mechanism of heat dissipation activated at the right end of each bar in the diagram?
Sweating and panting
What is the process by which water becomes vapour, removing heat from the surface it is in contact with?
Evaporation
What is the term for the amount of heat required to change water from liquid to vapour?
Heat of vapourization
What part of the brain monitors temperature in terrestrial mammals?
The hypothalamus
What is the consequence of the body failing to regulate its temperature effectively?
Heat-related illnesses or death
How do animals keep their bodies warm in cold temperatures?
Increase metabolic heat production, shivering, vasoconstriction, piloerection, and other thermogenic mechanisms
What type of receptors are sensitive to temperature on the skin of mammals?
Ruffin Organs (warm receptors) and Bulbs of Krause (cold receptors)
How does epinephrine increase heat in mammals?
By increasing cellular respiration rates, leading to an increase in metabolic rate and ATP usage
What is the difference between ectothermy and endothermy?
Ectothermy is the ability to regulate body temperature using external sources, whereas endothermy is the ability to generate heat internally
What is the primary way that animals lose heat from their bodies in hot environments?
Evaporative cooling through increased blood flow to the skin
What is the purpose of vasoconstriction in thermoregulation?
To reduce heat loss from the skin surface by constricting blood vessels near the surface
How do smaller animals, such as sheep and birds, cool their bodies in hot environments?
Through panting, which allows for the cooling of blood to the brain
Why do smaller animals tend to be more efficient at cooling their bodies than larger animals?
Because they have a larger body surface area relative to their volume
Test your knowledge of how terrestrial mammals regulate their body temperature, including the role of the hypothalamus, temperature receptors, and hormones such as epinephrine and thyroxine. Learn about the physiological responses that help maintain a stable body temperature.
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