Maintaining a high constant body temperature in mammals has both positives and negatives. What are they?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Samantha Foster

Biology - Rhetoric

* Maintaining a high constant body temperature in mammals has both positives and negatives. What are they?

* Describe how a mammal may respond to cold temperatures both in the short and long term.

* How would the response of a reptile such as a chameleon differ from that of a mammal when exposed to low temperatures?

Endothermic organisms maintain a stable core body temperature through their own adapted physiological mechanisms and appropriate changes in its behavioural patterns. The ability of an endotherm to keep its internal environment at a constant temperature allows the enzymes catalysing the vital biochemical reactions to be close to their optimum temperature, giving an efficient metabolic rate. The metabolic rate is defined as the rate at which all the cells in the body carry out their biochemical reactions. This constant high metabolic rate allows the endotherm to produce rapid movement in colder regions. For example the ability for the body to respire quickly when faced with the fight or flee situation, under the influence of the hormone adrenaline.

This high metabolic rate aids in the maintenance of the high core temperature, however as