Transcript more hospitable

migration
• Migration is another option for animals that
can move across long distances. They
survive by leaving the area for part of
the year or part of their life, and move to
habitats that are more hospitable.
Why, Where, How??
• Animals migrate to change climates and
avoid harsh conditions
• They go some place warmer (usually the
same spot, for a given species, each year)
• They fly, swim, walk
• They travel on instinct (birds may use
landmarks)
• When temperatures drop, instinct tells
them when to begin.
rufuos hummingbird
hibernation
• Hibernation is commonly regarded as
passing the winter in a state of lethargy, a
defense against cold and food shortages,
but it is not quite that simple. During
hibernation, animals dramatically reduce
their metabolic and heart rates and
lower their body temperatures.
More about hibernation
• Animals whose body temperature drops to
about 41° Fahrenheit (5° Centigrade) and
who go into an inactive state that lasts
for weeks or months are the deep, or
classic, hibernators. One example is the
marmot, which spends six to seven
months (longer than any other animal)
hibernating in a subterranean retreat with
many fellow marmots huddled together for
warmth.
Why, Where, How??
• Animals hibernate to avoid harsh
conditions and lack of food
• They will either “bulk up” by eating a lot or
store food for winter
• Beginning and ending may be different
but the signal is temperatures dropping
and thawing.
marmot
torpor
• Animals which do not reduce body
temperature dramatically go into a state called
"torpor" Periods of inactivity range from a few
hours to a few days, but may stretch out to
several months. Black bears, one of the better
known examples of animals which hibernate in a
torpor, do not go into true hibernation because of
their large size and excellent insulation. Torpid
bears can wake up and amble away if disturbed.
black bear
short –term torpor
• Short-term torpor is the most common.
Many small desert mammals, such as
kangaroo rats, ground squirrels, rock
squirrels, prairie dogs and chipmunks
respond to food scarcity in winter by
slowing down their internal processes
for hours to days. This generally occurs
after foraging and is more severe than
sleep. “Snackers”
kangaroo rat
dormancy
• Wood frogs exemplify the first group of freezetolerant animals. As the temperature drops,
these frogs produce an antifreeze, which allows
them to control where and when ice forms. With
this control, frogs can ensure that ice does not
form within their cells, which would kill them, and
they can prepare their metabolism to be turned
off. When frozen, a wood frog neither breathes
nor bleeds, and has a barely recordable heart
beat. Once temperatures climb, all functions
return. The frogsicle becomes a happy hopper.
Arizona toad
What is Estivation?
• Drought/summer time “hibernation”
• During dry or extremely hot periods of time
• Spade foot toad, squirrels, desert tortoise,
spiders, and more.
estivation
• Just as animals hibernate in order to stay alive in cold
places, animals estivate [or aestivate] in hot, dry
places. The bodies of estivators will slow
down. Breathing and heartbeat get very slow. The
animal doesn't need as much food and water to live
since food is fuel for energy and they aren't using
much. Reptiles use 90-95% less energy when they are
estivating. Animals don't move, grow or eat during this
time.
When hot and dry times come, estivators will find
themselves a safe place to sleep--usually
underground. This is the only way some animals can
live through high heat and no water.
• The desert tortoise estivates; it eats cacti,
grasses, and wildflowers from March until
June, and then retreats to an underground
burrow for the heat of the summer. In the
cooler fall, the tortoise emerges to eat and
drink. Some desert squirrels and spiders
also estivate in response to food scarcity.
desert tortoise
• Plants way to “hibernate”
• Drop leaves
• Do not use as much
water
• Photosynthesis is
temporarily stopped or
reduced.
Dormancy
Annuals
• Annuals live for only one season. They
do not come up a second year from
roots or crown.
• Must produce seeds before they die
• Wildflowers
• Live over from year
to year, producing
leaves and stems
for more than 2
years from the
same root system.
• Look dead during
the winter, come
back in the spring
• Verbena
• Hydrangea
Perennials
Deciduous
• Deciduous
plants will drop
their leaves.
• Maple, oak,
cottonwood,
aspen, etc.
•Stays green
•Has needles rather
than leaves
•Tolerate cold
Evergreens / Conifer