Lecture7

Endothermy and Ectothermy: 

Endothermy and Ectothermy Ch. 6.7, Bush

Outline: 

Outline Effects of temperature on life Thermoregulation Ecological aspects of thermoregulation

Outline: 

Outline Effects of temperature on life Thermoregulation Ecological aspects of thermoregulation

Effects of extreme temperatures: 

Effects of extreme temperatures Cold -- the effects of freezing physical damage to structures caused by the formation of ice; the membrane bound structures are destroyed or damaged. Heat inadequate O2 supply for metabolic demands (especially in areas where O2 is low, such as water) Heat and Cold reduced activity or denaturation of proteins -- the inactivation of certain proteins with the result that metabolic pathways are distorted.

Optimal temperature for enzyme functioning: 

Optimal temperature for enzyme functioning

Body Temperature: 

Body Temperature Law of Tolerance: for most requirements of life, there is an optimal quantity, above and below which the organism performs poorly There is much variation in the range of temperatures that a species can tolerate

Outline: 

Outline Effects of temperature on life Thermoregulation Ecological aspects of thermoregulation

Thermoregulation: 

Thermoregulation maintenance of internal temperature within a range that allows cells to function efficiently Two main types ectothermy endothermy

Endothermy versus ectothermy: 

Endothermy versus ectothermy

Ectothermy: 

Ectothermy an animal that relies on external environment for temperature control instead of generating its own body heat “cold-blooded” e.g., invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and most fish the majority of animals are ectotherms

Metabolism and temperature: 

Metabolism and temperature ectotherms cannot move very much unless the ambient temperature allows roughly, for each 10 degree increase in temperature, there is a 2.5 increase in metabolic activity

Ectothermy: 

Ectothermy Desert iguanas are active only when ambient temperature is close to optimal for them

Ectothermic animals: 

Ectothermic animals

Endothermy: 

Endothermy a warm-blooded animal that controls its body temperature by producing its own heat through metabolism evolved approximately 140 mya E.g., birds, mammals, marsupial, some active fish like the great white shark and swordfish

Endothermic animals: 

Endothermic animals

Outline: 

Outline Endothermy versus ectothermy Behavioural adaptations to thermoregulation Physiological adaptations to thermoregulation

Behavioural adaptations for thermoregulation: 

Behavioural adaptations for thermoregulation animals often bathe in water to cool off or bask in the sun to heat up

Shivering, sweating, and panting: 

Shivering, sweating, and panting honeybees survive harsh winters by clustering together and shivering, which generates metabolic heat Inefficient – 75% of energy is lost in mechanical movement

Torpor: 

Torpor metabolism decreases heart and respiratory system slow down body temperature decreases conserves energy when food supplies are low and environmental temps are extreme E.g., hummingbirds on cold nights

Hibernation: 

Hibernation Long-term torpor adaptation for winter cold and food scarcity E.g., ground squirrels

Aestivation: 

Aestivation summer torpor adaptation for high temperatures and scarce water supplies E.g., mud turtles, snails

Endothermy and the evolution of sleep?: 

Endothermy and the evolution of sleep? evolutionary remnant of torpor of our ancestors the body needs sleep in order to offset the high energy costs of endothermy: When animals fall asleep their metabolic rates decrease by approximately ten percent

Colour and Posture: 

Colour and Posture Change coloration (darker colors absorb more heat) E.g., lizards, butterflies, crabs Posture: Change shape (flatten out to heat up quickly) Orientation changes

Chemical adaptations: 

Chemical adaptations Many Canadian butterflies overwinter here and hibernate they produce sugar-like substances as antifreeze E.g., Mourning Cloak butterfly

Outline: 

Outline Effects of temperature on life Thermoregulation Ecological aspects of thermoregulation

Advantages & Disadvantages of Endothermy: 

Advantages & Disadvantages of Endothermy Advantages: external temperature does not affect their performance allows them to live in colder habitats muscles can provide more sustained power e.g., a horse can move for much longer periods than a crocodile can Disadvantage: energy expensive an endotherm will have to eat much more than an ectotherm of equivalent size

Where can endotherms thrive?: 

Where can endotherms thrive? Higher latitudes and deserts Terrestrial environments have more variation in daily and seasonal temperature which contributes to more endotherms in terrestrial environments endotherms (mammals and birds) generally outcompete ectotherms if they are after the same food source

Size and thermoregulation: 

Size and thermoregulation Small mammals (such as mice and shrews) have a greater dependence on internally-generated heat than big mammals (such as elephants and hippos) leads to: presence of insulation (fur - large mammals generally have less hair) voracious appetites of small mammals (a shrew eats more per unit body weight than an elephant does)

Surface area to volume ratios: 

Surface area to volume ratios

Ectothermy vs. endothermy: 

Ectothermy vs. endothermy Many more ectotherms are small in size versus endotherms Ectotherms typically have no insulation Posture is different

Where do ectotherms thrive?: 

Where do ectotherms thrive? Where food items are: scarce small In environments low in O2

Ecosystem functioning and ectothermy: 

Ecosystem functioning and ectothermy Production Efficiency: -can be seen as the ratio of assimilation between trophic levels = biomass of predator biomass of food species Ectotherms are more efficient than endotherms (up to 15% versus 7%)

Thermoregulation and food chains: 

Thermoregulation and food chains Endotherms are often the top predator in food chains Food chains with lots of ectotherms are often longer in length

Summary: 

Summary Endothermic animals regulate their body heat to stay within the optimal range for performance while the temperature of ectothermic animals fluctuates with that of the surrounding environment Both endotherms and ectotherms have a variety of behavioural and physiological adaptations to deal with environmental extremes

Climate: 

Climate Ch. 4, Bush

Outline: 

Outline Climate and ecology Solar energy and air circulation Oceanic influences Cycles of climate change

Outline: 

Outline Climate and ecology Solar energy and air circulation Oceanic influences Cycles of climate change

Climate affects ecology: 

Climate affects ecology

Temperature and precipitation: 

Temperature and precipitation

Outline: 

Outline Climate and ecology Solar energy and air circulation Oceanic influences Cycles of climate change

Solar energy: 

Solar energy Solar energy distribution is not balanced across the globe in intensity constancy Together, these differences explain the distribution of tropical and temperate climates

Intensity of Solar energy : 

Intensity of Solar energy Solar energy is more intense at lower latitudes (that is, closer to the equator) because: the “footprint” of the beam of energy is smaller at tropical latitudes beams have shorter passage through the atmosphere

Intensity of solar energy: 

Intensity of solar energy more energy per square meter in the tropics than at the poles

Differences in daylength: 

Differences in daylength

Differences in Day Length: 

Differences in Day Length caused by the constant tilt of Earth as it orbits around the sun the reason why temperate environments have four seasons while tropical environments do not

Heat and air circulation: 

Heat and air circulation The disparity in energy input across the globe drives all our weather systems This is because heat energy must flow from warm to cold

Hadley cells – the effect of heat transfer: 

Hadley cells – the effect of heat transfer Hot air rises and, as it rises, it cools Cool air cannot hold as much moisture as heated air, so it rains This cool, dry air must go somewhere so it pushes towards the poles, where it slows and descends As it descends, it is warmed

Hadley cells: 

Hadley cells

Hadley cells and climate: 

Hadley cells and climate The downdraft of hot dry air causes the formation of the desert regions of Earth: E.g., Sahara Sonoran Australian Gobi Atacama

Equatorial rainforest: 

Equatorial rainforest Average temp: 20-34 ° C Average rainfall: 124-660 cm

Deserts – caused by downdrafts of hot, dry air: 

Deserts – caused by downdrafts of hot, dry air Average temp: 20 to 25° C Average rainfall: under 15 cm a year

Movement of the thermal equator: 

Movement of the thermal equator

Hadley cells: 

Hadley cells

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ): 

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

Movement of the ITCZ: 

Movement of the ITCZ responsible for wet and dry seasons of the tropics

Seasonality and ITZC: 

Seasonality and ITZC In temperate latitudes, seasonality is closely related to day length In tropical latitudes, seasonality is closely associated with rainfall. Tropical rainfall influences: Germination, flowering, and fruiting in plants Breeding, feeding, migration, and life history strategies in animals

Movement of the ITCZ: 

Movement of the ITCZ hurricanes are spawned at the most northerly edge of the ITCZ

Outline: 

Outline Climate and ecology Solar energy and air circulation Oceanic influences Cycles of climate change

Ocean and heat transfer: 

Ocean and heat transfer water takes more energy to heat than land or air

Water moderates climate: 

Water moderates climate The ocean makes coastal regions have milder climates

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ): 

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

Gulf Stream: 

Gulf Stream Gulf Stream comes up from Gulf of Mexico, across Atlantic Ocean, to moderate climate of Western Europe

Effects of the Gulf Stream: 

Effects of the Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream makes snow rare in London but common in Toronto: Altitude Ave. Temp (Jan) London 51 N 6 C Toronto 43 N -4 C

Earth’s rotation causes the Coriolis effect: 

Earth’s rotation causes the Coriolis effect Both objects A and B make one rotation on the Earth’s axis per day An object located at the equator is rotating faster than an object at the pole

Coriolis Effect: 

Coriolis Effect

Coriolis Effect and air circulation: 

Coriolis Effect and air circulation

Trade winds and the Gulf Stream: 

Trade winds and the Gulf Stream

Major water currents: 

Major water currents

Outline: 

Outline Climate and ecology Solar energy and air circulation Oceanic influences Cycles of climate change

Cycles of Climate Change: 

Cycles of Climate Change There are two main cycles of climate change that are natural: El Nino Oscillation Glaciation

Gulf Stream: 

Gulf Stream Gulf Stream comes up from Gulf of Mexico, across Atlantic Ocean, to moderate climate of Western Europe

Gulf Stream causes ocean currents: 

Gulf Stream causes ocean currents Warm water evaporates Ocean becomes more salty Loses heat as it moves towards pole Water becomes more dense as it becomes more salty and/or loses heat This dense, cold, salty water sinking off the coast of Greenland sets in motion an immense flow of water through the oceans

Ocean currents: 

Ocean currents

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO): 

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) A decrease in wind speed of the Trade Winds off Tahiti is observed every 3-7 years causes less warm surface water being piled up around Indonesia Instead, warm surface water piles up off Peru in South America

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) : 

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

El Nino Effects: 

El Nino Effects

El Nino and Hurricane Pauline: 

El Nino and Hurricane Pauline

El Nino and ecology: 

El Nino and ecology Evidence indicates that Galapagos marine iguanas actually shrink during El Nino events El Nino reduces food supply (green and red algae)

El Nino and Insect outbreaks: 

El Nino and Insect outbreaks In a dry lowland forest near Panama's Pacific coast, moth larvae devoured 250 percent more leaf material than usual Bartonellosis, an insect-borne disease highly fatal to humans, are closely related to the climate event El Niño

Glacial and Interglacial periods: 

Glacial and Interglacial periods In the last 4 million years there have been at least 22 ice ages (= glacial periods) Warm periods between glacial periods (interglacial) periods have been brief

In general…: 

In general… Interglacial periods mild in temperature and with more precipitation--periods of diversification and range expansion in organisms adapted to warmer conditions Glacial periods fragmentation of plant and animal ranges (except for arctic or cold-desert adapted organisms)

Glaciation and water level changes: 

Glaciation and water level changes About 3 million years ago, a major Ice Age began when the sea level dropped enough to expose the Isthmus of Panama The Panama land bridge made possible one of the great events in biology-the interchange of species of two continents.

Glaciation and land changes: 

Glaciation and land changes Moving into South America were: fox; deer; tapir; spectacled bear; spotted cat; llama. Moving into North America were: parrot; toucan, armadillo; giant sloth; howler monkey; anteater; and capybara

Last glacial period ended 11,000 years ago: 

Last glacial period ended 11,000 years ago 90% of last 2 million years has been glacial For the last 10,000 years, plants and animals have been living in an unusually warm environment

Summary: 

Summary Most weather patterns are ultimately caused by the fact that equatorial regions receive more solar energy than polar regions Location of tropical, temperate and desert ecosystems Wind and water currents Seasonality of the tropics Weather and climate fluctuate over relatively short time frames and relatively long ones