Question

Warm bloodedness is a feature that marks the aves and the mammalia – strongly influencing their morphology and behaviors.

i) Describe the benefits to endothermy that both groups share

ii) provide examples of the means by which the animals maintain their elevated body temperature

iii) note any differences you can find in researching the topic between their endothermy

iv) describe why the other vertebrate groups have not evolved this trait.

Answer 1

1) Benefits of endothermy that both aves and mammals carry is that ot gives greater stamina than ectothermic animals. Due to their faster metabolism they can quickly resupply muscles with energy and easily breakdown muscular waste products.

2) Animals maintain their elevated body temperature by different ways. They internally generate heat to maintain body temperature. They also depends on heat source and body temperature changes with the temperature of environment. They exchange heat by conduction, convention and evaporation.

3) Endothermy in aves is fundamentally different from the mammals because of the principle mechanism that facilitate heat production in mammals, uncoupling proteins, dies not operate in aves.

4) other vertebrates do not evolved the trait because as they use less of their food for respiration and needs to find less food and may able to survive for long periods of time without eating. Their greater proportion of energy from food can be used for their growth.