BRAINCAKEBehavioural Control of Body Temperature
Both ectotherms and endotherms use behaviour to control body temperature. For ectotherms it is the main method; for endotherms it saves the energy and water that physiological responses would use.
Gaining heat
• Basking in the sun, often on dark or warm surfaces. Many lizards turn their bodies at right angles to the Sun's rays in the morning, exposing the largest area.
• Pressing the body against warm rocks or ground, gaining heat by conduction.
• Huddling together, as emperor penguins do in the Antarctic winter, which reduces the exposed surface area of each individual.
• Curling up, sheltering from the wind and increasing activity.
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More in Homeostasis
- Keeping Warm
- Control of Core Body Temperature
- Vasodilation
- Vasoconstriction
- Adaptations for Cold Environments
- Adaptations for Hot Environments
- Cooling The Brain
- Cape Ground Squirrel
All 41 lessons in Homeostasis · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics