Chapter 16 - Temperature regulation and water balance
16.1 Temperature and water
balance
Animal water levels and
temperature are regulated
to a further degree then
plants.
In terrestrial vascular pants, water and nutrients are
transpired through the xylem on a daily basis, rate of
transpiration is regulated by the degree of opening of
stomata
Plants in hot dry
environments have
adaptation which get
their nutritional
requirement but with
lower levels of
transpiration for
conserving water.
Plants in saline soils
have high salt levels
which are regulated by
secretion.
16. 2 Body temp in animals
Animals other then birds and
mammals are ECTOTHERMS, who get
their heat from their environment.
Body temperature is mostly at mercy
of the environment, they produce less
heat then endotherms, and loose heat
quicker aaswwell, they use less energy
though. And in harsh environments
they can become inactive.
HETEROTHERMS are some ectotherms (fish and
insects) which stay warmer thenthe temperature of
which they live in, they also function as endotherm,
generating heat to increase their body
temperature. Other ectotherms to stay warmer
produce additional heat from intense muscluar
activity.
BIrds and mammals are ENDOTHERMS, their body
temperature is constant and is usualy higher then that of
their environment. they generate heat by internal
metabolic heat production and have insulating features
(feathers and fur etc). They use physiological mechanisms
and behaviour to regulate loss of metabolic heat.
In endothermic animals that hibernate
although their body temperature drops
dramatically temperature regulation is stil
present. Aquatic animals loose heat more
quickly.
Core temperature of most mammals
is 36-38 degrees. 6 more degrees above
can be lethal, 15 degrees below is now
far temperature drops can be
tolarated.
16.3 Temp
regulating
pathways
Regulation of body temperature involves a
complex negitive feedback pathway. In
endotherms the control centre for
measuring the body temperature is the
Hypothalamus in the brain, it initiates
regulatory responses that can involve heat
heat gain or loss.
Arterial blood has the
most constant
temperature in the body.
In endotherms a group of
temperature sensitive cells
in the Hypothalamus act as
detectors, triggering
homeostatis responses.
Temperature receptors
also found in skin, which
detect changes in the
external environment and
trigger responses before
there is a change in core
body temperature.
Animals control heat exchange by insulation, and by
physiological and behavioural means. Regulatoing he rate of
heat between an animal and its environment, the factors
involves in this are: an effective temperature difference
between the two, the area of exposed surface, effiicenecy of
insulation againest heat exchange and physiological
processes involving evaporation and circulatory changes
Animals loose heat by radiation, evaporation,
conduction, and direct loss in body fluids.
Terrestrial mammals, when surrounding
temperatures are higher then their body
temperature, heat can only be lost by
evaporation (sweating, panting or licking fur).
If the temperature is hot and humid
evaporation is not effective and instead
convection becomes important.
When surrounding temperatures are cold
many animals increase body temperature by
adopting patterns of behaviour which enable
them to absorb heat from the environment
through radiation and conduction often
displayed by ectotherms.
Insulation reduces
heat exchange with
their environment,
feathers and fur
trap a layer of warm
air next to skin.
Vertebrates do many physiological mechanisms that regulate heat and
exchange with environment such as circulatory changes (constriction or
dilution of openings of blood vessels in the skin) and counter current
arrangements of blood vessels that cause heat to be retained within
tissues.
Evaporation such as sweat contains salts and
other substances, so increased sweating can
cause a significant loss of salts from the
body, with low sweating important
substances can be reabsorbed before passing
off the body. Advantages of panting over
sweating are no loss of salts from the body.
For behavioural regulation of
temperature, most animals to
reduce heat loss reduce their
exposed surface area to
volume ratio. They can move in
or out of the sun or go
underground, or restrict
activity to night where
temperatures are cooler.
It is more energy
effeicent to reduce heat
loss then increase heat
gain. Endotherms
though generally
increase heat gain by the
production of metabolic
heat by increased
muscle activity by
shivering, increased
cellualr activity in brown
fat, and to increase
cellular metabolism.
16.4 Water balance
and salt levels
Animals can regulate water balance by
physiological and behavioural meas,
which allows them to live in a range of
environments, while some animals just
restrict the environments that they can
live in
Impermeable external
coverings can reduce the
impact of salt or osmotic
gradients that are
unfavouable
A water balance is
necessary to control salt
concentrations as in
solutions salts form ions,
and for biochemical
processes to occur cell s
require the concentrations
of certain ions to be held
within narrow limits
Water balance is the
result of water intake
and water loss. In
organisms net
movement of water
occurs as a result of
osmosis.
The concentration of marine organisms is
similar to sea water. Animals moved in
freshwater environments have their body
fluids concentrations more dilute than sea
water. Bony fish are descendants from
freshwater but moved back into the sea, but
there concentrations are still more dilute then
sea water which makes water and salt balance
an issue for them.
Most marine invertebrates have body
fluids with equal osmotic concentrations
to that of sea water, Some tolerate
fluctuations of their body fluids
concentrations (those tend to live in
restricted salinity ranges), others can
regulate their salt levels.
Marine and freshwater fishes
have different concentrations
of which that they live in which
puts them under osmotic
stress.
There needs to be ways of controlling salt
and water concentrations, if there wasn't
freshwater fishes would take in too much
water and lose too much salt, and marine
fishes lose too much water and gain too
much salt. So their skin and scales are
impermeable to water and salts, but their
gills are not as they have to get oxygen which
makes them highly permeable, they are
continuely ventilated with water.
Freshwater fish rarely drink water, have dilute urine and actively
absorb salt. Marine fish drink continuously, they have excrete samll
amounts of urine and actively excrete salt.
Some marine fishes by retaining urea into their blood
which makes their blood osmoconcentration is equivalent
to sea water.
In freshwater, amphibians (e.g. frogs)
lose salts and gain water osmotically.
They remove excess water by excreting
dilute water.
Availability of water in many terrestrial environments is low and varies, Animals
experience thirst and seek and consume water to resume their water balance. Water
can be conserved through behavioural means, water can be gained by food and is
produced during cellular respiration (metabolic water).
Respiratory surfaces
must be moist so
air-breathers lose water
by evaporation.
Kidneys lose water during excretion of
nitrogenous wastes, and the gut loses water
through feaces, though water can be reabsorbed
in the intestines, but if the feaces passes through
too quickly deheydration can occur.
Loop of Henle and vasa
recta allow concentrated
urine. Organisms in dry
environments have a longer
loop of henle and a larger
medullary region then that
compared of a moist
environment.