BIO-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Heat Capacity, Poikilotherm, Arctic Circle
Document Summary
Insolation: solar radiation absorbed by surface of the earth. Accounts for nearly all of equatorial polar gradient. Caused by more space for solar energy to spread out at the poles. The beam goes through more atmosphere around the poles. 24 hours rotation of the curve is the cause. Cold blooded: can"t generate or maintain heat. Endothermy: ability to produce substantial amounts of metabolic heat. Ectothermy: can"t product lots of metabolic heat; temperature affects daily life. Caused by tilt of earth"s axis of rotation relative to plane of orbit of the earth around the sun. June solistice (23. 5 degrees) no darkness on northern hemisphere. Water slow to heat up and cool down. Inland areas more variable in temperature than coastal areas. Cause: land heats and cools faster than water. Water has a very high specific heat. Snakes can regulate body temperature behaviorally (basking) but not metabolically. Snakes and other reptiles must reach a certain temperature to digest efficiently; can"t forage/feed.
