Chapter 39, Problem 3Q

Summary Introduction

To analyze:

The mechanisms and the processes that occurs in the squirrels for raising their body temperatures.

Given:

The arctic ground squirrels were kept in the hibernating chambers by the researchers. These squirrels can build the burrows that can reach –10°C. The hibernating chambers in the laboratory were held at either +2°C or –12°C. It was observed that all the squirrels taken into consideration entered bouts of torpor repeatedly. The body temperatures (Tb) and the metabolic rates of individual squirrels were measured during the arousal time.

The given table depicts the mean values of the metabolic rate and the temperature during the rewarming phase with their standard errors. The observation taken is for the two groups of squirrels at the different temperatures.

Introduction:

There are two types of animals: ectotherms and endotherms. Ectotherms have a constant body temperature, while the endotherms have to change their internal body temperature according to the temperature outside the body.