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Temperature regulation for the Brush Tailed-Possum (1 Viewer)

jjHasm

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In these notes im reading off (pretty reliable, the atar notes biology book thing by naomi sirmai), For the brush tailed possum, one of the responses to temperature change is that the organism will - "Body shape changes depending on temperature of area", then it goes onto say that if it is Hot, it will "spread out to create a large SA:V ratio", but isn't it the other way around? Wouldn't spreading your body out create a smaller SA:V ratio? and curling it into a ball create a larger SA:V ratio? If the SA:V ratio is larger, this means more heat is lost (smaller body). So, my question is, how would u relate this to temperature regulation?

idk this detail is getting to me, dont understand

just started studying for biology today :p
 
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Large SA:V means greater surface area than volume.

Increasing your SA:V means you're getting your blood vessels closer to your skin, because you're getting thinner and decreasing your volume. Remember how blood vessels like arteries need to vasoconstrict in cold temperatures in order to prevent heat in blood from diffusing through the skin in thin-skin areas like the feet? Well if the blood vessels are now closer to your skin in a large SA:V, they can readily diffuse heat in blood and cool themselves.
 
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pikachu975

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In these notes im reading off (pretty reliable, the atar notes biology book thing by naomi sirmai), For the brush tailed possum, one of the responses to temperature change is that the organism will - "Body shape changes depending on temperature of area", then it goes onto say that if it is Hot, it will "spread out to create a large SA:V ratio", but isn't it the other way around? Wouldn't spreading your body out create a smaller SA:V ratio? and curling it into a ball create a larger SA:V ratio? If the SA:V ratio is larger, this means more heat is lost (smaller body). So, my question is, how would u relate this to temperature regulation?

idk this detail is getting to me, dont understand

just started studying for biology today :p
It can potentially sweat more which leads to more evaporative cooling
 

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