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Question
Small animals are rarely found in polar regions because _________.
Small animals are rarely found in polar regions because _________.
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Solution
The correct option is A they rapidly lose heat due to their large surface area compared to volume
The Earth has varying environmental conditions, yet life can be found in every corner from the hydrothermal vents to the Amazonian rainforests. Survival of life in different environmental conditions requires organisms to evolve different strategies to adapt to their environment. This can be done in various ways.
Some organisms cannot maintain a constant internal environment but can change their internal environment according to the outside conditions. They are called conformers.
Conformers adopt different strategies to survive in different environmental conditions. Some animals bask in the sun when the temperature is low. E.g., Desert lizards.
Some aquatic organisms can change their internal solute concentration in order to match it to the solute concentration of the environment. E.g., amphibians, reptiles, etc.
Small animals are usually conformers. This is because they have a large surface area compared to their volume. Heat generation depends on the volume but heat loss or heat gain is a function of surface area.
Larger surface area means that more body surface is exposed to the surroundings for heat loss. Thus these organisms tend to lose heat more quickly when it is cold outside. Due to their small body volume they cannot generate sufficient amount of heat to keep themselves warm. Therefore, small animals are usually not found in polar regions. Hence option a is correct.
The Earth has varying environmental conditions, yet life can be found in every corner from the hydrothermal vents to the Amazonian rainforests. Survival of life in different environmental conditions requires organisms to evolve different strategies to adapt to their environment. This can be done in various ways.
Some organisms cannot maintain a constant internal environment but can change their internal environment according to the outside conditions. They are called conformers.
Conformers adopt different strategies to survive in different environmental conditions. Some animals bask in the sun when the temperature is low. E.g., Desert lizards.
Some aquatic organisms can change their internal solute concentration in order to match it to the solute concentration of the environment. E.g., amphibians, reptiles, etc.
Small animals are usually conformers. This is because they have a large surface area compared to their volume. Heat generation depends on the volume but heat loss or heat gain is a function of surface area.
Larger surface area means that more body surface is exposed to the surroundings for heat loss. Thus these organisms tend to lose heat more quickly when it is cold outside. Due to their small body volume they cannot generate sufficient amount of heat to keep themselves warm. Therefore, small animals are usually not found in polar regions. Hence option a is correct.
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