metabolism in conformers and regulators 4

• Abiotic factors

  External factors that can affect an organism's ability to maintain its metabolic rate
• Abiotic factors

  • Temperature
  • Salinity
  • pH
• Conformers

  Organisms whose internal environment is dependent upon external environment
• Conformers


  • Reptiles
• Regulators

  Organisms that maintain their internal environment regardless of the external environment
• Regulators


  • Mammals
• Conformers

  • Use behavioral responses to maintain an optimum metabolic rate
  • Have low metabolic costs and have a narrow range of ecological niches
• Regulators

  • Use metabolism to control their internal environment, which increases the range of possible ecological niches
  • Regulation requires energy to achieve homeostasis, which increases their metabolic costs
• Hypothalamus

  The temperature monitoring center in the brain
• Response to increase in body temperature

  1. Change in external temperature communicated by electrical impulses through nerves to effectors

  2. Effectors bring about corrective responses to return internal temperature to normal
• Corrective responses to increase in body temperature


  • Sweating
  • Vasodilation
  • Decreased metabolic rate
• Corrective responses to decrease in body temperature

  • Shivering
  • Vasoconstriction
  • Hair erector muscles contract
  • Increased metabolic rate
• Regulation of temperature allows for optimal enzyme activity