Zusammenfassung der Ressource
metabolism in conformers and
regulators
- conformers
- conformers cannot regulate internal their environment
- therefore they cannot control their metabolic rate
- the body temperature of a
conformer depends upon the
temperature of the external
environment
- examples of conformers are
reptiles and invertebrates
- an example of
conforming is desert
lizards burrowing
beneath the sand to cool
down
- an advantage of being a conformer is
having no physilogical mechanism for
controlling metablic rate results in low
energy costs to the organism
- a disadvantage of being a conformer is only
being able to occupy a narrow range of
ecological niches as they are less able to adapt
and survive to changing environments
- regulators
- In regulators
metabolism is used
to control the
internal environment
of the organism
- the internal environment
remains stable even in a
change in external
environment this is called homeostasis
- homeostasis is controlled via the hypothalamus
- the hypothalamus is the temperature monitoring centre in
the brain that receives nerve impulses that come from
receptors in the skin
- an advantage of being a regulator
is being able to occupy a wide
range of niches
- a disadvantage of being a regulator is the
high energy costs to keep the internal
environment the same
- regulators can control
their internal
environment
- thermoregulation is the process in
which an organism controls it's
internal body temperature
- mammals have to maintain an internal body
temperature of 37 degrees celsius in order to
facilitate optimum enzyme activity and the
movement of molecules via diffusion
- the ways in which
regulators control their
internal body
temperature are:
- for overheating
- vasodilation- allowing blood to
go to the surface of the skin
where heat is lost
- increasing sweat rate- heat is lost
through turning sweat into vapour
through which heat is lost
- a decrease in metabolic rate
which lowers heat production
- for increasing the
internal
temperature
- vasoconstriction- blood vessels are
restricted and blood flow to skin is
stopped so less heat is lost
- hair erector muscles contract- hair
stands on end and trap an insulating
layer of warmer air next to the skin
- shivering- skeletal muscles around the body
contract and this repeated muscle activity
generates heat