Heterothermic Metabolism

Name: Grant
Status: other
Grade: other
Location: IN

Question: I assume that cold blooded animals metabolize glucose in
essentially the same way as warm blooded one. why then are unable to use
the heat from the metabolic process to heat their bodies as warm blooded
creatures do?
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This is just an alternative life style.  Some animals "spend" some of the 
energy they get from glucose to keep their thermostat set at the same 
temperature all the time.  This allows them much quickness and freedom of 
movement because they are always warm.  The downside is that they have to 
eat more to compensate.  Other animals don't spend any of their energy budget 
on keeping warm and therefore don't need to eat as often.  The problem is 
that they tire easily and after a burst of movement need to recover, and 
they don't move quickly in the morning when it's cooler.  This also means 
that in colder climates they usually need to hibernate or go dormant because 
their body temperature goes down with the environmental temperature.

vanhoeck
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Animals used to be categorized as ‘warm-blooded’ or ‘cold-blooded’, but that’s 
a bit of an oversimplification. The preferred terms now include ‘endotherm’ for 
certain ‘warm-blooded’ animals and ‘ectotherm’ for some animals that used to be
 called ‘cold-blooded’ (but be careful! there are many examples that don’t fit 
 into either!).

All animals must regulate their temperature to some degree to live, but they 
don’t all have the same target temperature or the same ways of doing it. Some 
have many tools in their temperature-toolbox, and some have very few. It’s not 
accurate to think that “Cold-blooded” animals are “unable to use the heat” 
generated in metabolism -- they just have a different target temperature, 
and/or have a different set of methods they use to control their body 
temperature.

In all organisms, metabolism generates heat. Metabolism is just one tool 
of many that animals have to regulate their body temperatures. Some organisms 
can become more active (e.g. generate more heat through metabolism) to warm up 
their bodies, and then become less active and cool down their bodies. Other 
animals control how they exchange heat with their surroundings (moving to the 
shade or into the sun, moving to a warmer or cooler area in water, etc.). 
Physiological changes are also used in animals (sweating, panting, flowing 
more or less blood to extremities, etc.) to raise or lower temperature. Other 
organisms have very little control – not only are they strongly influenced by 
their surroundings, but they also don’t have very good ability to change their 
temperature.

Specific animals have different targets and different techniques, so to get more 
specific, you would need to pick an example to discuss.

Hope this helps,
Burr
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