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Such organisms (frogs, for example) rely on environmental heat sources, [3] which permit them to operate at very economical metabolic rates. [ 4 ] Some of these animals live in environments where temperatures are practically constant, as is typical of regions of the abyssal ocean and hence can be regarded as homeothermic ectotherms.
The effects of temperature on enzyme activity. Top - increasing temperature increases the rate of reaction (Q 10 coefficient). Middle - the fraction of folded and functional enzyme decreases above its denaturation temperature. Bottom - consequently, an enzyme's optimal rate of reaction is at an intermediate temperature.
Photosynthesis, the process that allows plants to convert carbon dioxide and water to sugar and oxygen, is an endothermic process: plants absorb radiant energy from the sun and use it in an endothermic, otherwise non-spontaneous process. The chemical energy stored can be freed by the inverse (spontaneous) process: combustion of sugar, which ...
In 1847, Carl Bergmann published his observations that endothermic body size (i.e. mammals) increased with increasing latitude, commonly known as Bergmann's rule. [9] His rule postulated that selection favored within species individuals with larger body sizes in cooler temperatures because the total heat loss would be diminished through lower surface area to volume ratios. [8]
This is because the smaller plants do not have enough volume to create a considerable amount of heat. Large plants, on the other hand, have a lot of mass to create and retain heat. [5] Thermogenic plants are also protogynous, meaning that the female part of the plant matures before the male part of the same plant. This reduces inbreeding ...
Carbon on Earth naturally occurs in two stable isotopes, with 98.9% in the form of 12 C and 1.1% in 13 C. [1] [8] The ratio between these isotopes varies in biological organisms due to metabolic processes that selectively use one carbon isotope over the other, or "fractionate" carbon through kinetic or thermodynamic effects. [1]
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature as its own body temperature, thus avoiding the need for internal thermoregulation.
It is a form of nastic movement, not to be confused with thermotropism, which is a directional response in plants to temperature. A common example of this is in some Rhododendron species, but thermonasty has also been observed in other plants, such as Phryma leptostachya . [ 1 ]