thermoregulation

• Thermoregulation

  In the body, the temperature is controlled by the thermoregulatory system in the hypothalamus. Changes in temperature are detected by the thermoreceptors in the brain - this monitors the core temperature and the skin and external temperature.
• Endothermic animals maintain a fairly constant body temperature independent of their environment.
• Ectothermic animals take on the temperature of the environment
• how do endotherms maintain a stable temperature?

  internal metabolic heat

  sweating, panting and layers of fat to keep warm
• what is vasoconstriction?

  shrinking the diameter of the blood vessels that supply the skin, reducing blood flow and retaining heat
• what is vasodilation?

  increases blood flow to the skin and helps the animal lose some of its extra heat to the environment, blood vessels get wider
• Deliberate actions and shivering increase muscle activity and thus boost heat production
• Brown adipose tissue contains many mitochondria with special proteins that let them release energy from fuel molecules directly, as heat instead of channeling it into formation of the energy carrier ATP
• Sweating: glands in the skin release water containing various ions.
• Panting: an animal breathes rapidly and shallowly with its mouth open to increase evaporation from the surface of the mouth.