Description and Example of each terms.
1. Poikilotherms - is an animal whose internal temperature varies considerably. Poikilotherms have to
survive and adapt to environmental stress. One of the most important stressors is temperature change,
which can lead to alterations in membrane lipid order and can cause protein unfolding and denaturation
at elevated temperatures. It is the opposite of a homeotherm, an animal which maintains thermal
homeostasis. Poikilotherms are cold-blooded which their body temperature is similar to or
slightly higher than the temperature of their environment. Because of their internal
temperature changing, they have to survive and adapt to the environmental stress. Some
examples of these organisms are type of vertebrate organisms such as fish, amphibians and
reptiles, and also many invertebrates.
2. Homeotherms - is thermoregulation that maintains a stable internal body temperature
regardless of external influence. This internal body temperature is often, though not necessarily,
higher than the immediate environment. Homeothermy is one of the three types of
thermoregulation in warm-blooded animal species. Homeothermy's opposite is poikilothermy.
Examples of homeotherms are brids and mammals.
3. Endotherms - use internally generated heat to maintain body temperature. Their body
temperature tends to stay steady regardless of environment. When it's cold out, they increase
metabolic heat production to keep their body temperature constant. Because of this, the
internal body temperature of an endotherm is more or less independent of the temperature of
the environment. People, polar bears, penguins, and prairie dogs, like most other birds and
mammals, are endotherms.
4. Heterothermic - these are animals that can switch between poikilothermic and
homeothermic strategies. These changes in strategies typically occur on a daily basis or on an
annual basis. More often than not, it is used as a way to dissociate the fluctuating metabolic
rates seen in some small mammals and birds (e.g. bats and hummingbirds), from those of
traditional cold blooded animals. In many bat species, body temperature and metabolic rate are
elevated only during activity. When at rest, these animals reduce their metabolisms drastically,
which results in their body temperature dropping to that of the surrounding environment. This
makes them homeothermic when active, and poikilothermic when at rest.
5. Super Cooling System - In order to survive extreme low temperatures in certain
environments, some animals use the phenomenon of supercooling that allow them to remain
unfrozen and avoid cell damage and death. Animals that use this phenomenon are squirrels,
wood frogs, grey tree frogs, painted turtle, and common box turtles.