A discussion of the adaptations and responses of Australian organisms to assist temperature

regulation

The adaptations and responses of Australian organisms to assist temperature regulation vary greatly
across ectothermic and endothermic animals, and plants. Each different adaptation assists its organism
in thermoregulation in specific ways. An adaptation is defined as an alteration in structure, function or
behaviour, that is hereditary, by which a species or an individual improves its condition in relation to its
environment. Temperature regulation in an organism is extremely important, as enzymes only work in a
specific temperature range, and beyond this range they begin to denature and eventually will not
function. This range is typically 0°-45°.

Ectothermic organisms, such as the Central Netted Dragon, the Thorny Devil and the
Broad-Headed Snake, all have various behavioural adaptations that assist them in
temperature regulation. An ectothermic organism is one that depends on an
external source, such as the environment, for heat energy. This results in a
greater fluctuation in body temperature than that of an endothermic organism. Thorny Devil
The Central Netted Dragon survives in internal
temperatures of 13°-44°, and lives in desert Australia. In
Central Netted low ambient temperatures, the dragon lied in the sun and
Dragon
shelters from cold winds to increase its core body
temperature. In high ambient temperatures, it retreats into the shade of
rocks and vegetation or into a burrow, and it hunts at night when the
temperatures are lower. This adaptation allows the dragon to avoid
overheating. The Thorny Devil has tiny channels between the scaled on its
belly and legs, that collects water from sand
and morning dew. This water travels up these channels by capillary action
to the lizard’s mouth. Living in the desert, this adaptation allows for the
devil to lower its body temperature with minimum activity, so it doesn’t
overheat. The Broad-Headed snake, in low ambient temperatures, resides
in the crevices of stone outcrops and exposed cliff edges to maximise

Broad-Headed sunlight exposure, which raises their internal temperatures. In high ambient
Snake temperatures, they move into forests and woodlands, and inhabit hollow trees and
shaded areas. This minimises sun exposure, allowing the snake to lower its internal
body temperature.
Fairy Penguin
Endothermic organisms, such as the Fairy Penguin, the Australian Fur Seal, and the
Red Kangaroo all have structural and functional adaptations to allow them to
remain in their narrow internal temperature ranges. An endothermic organism is
one that generates its own heat through metabolic activities, which results in a
fairly stable body temperature that is maintained within a narrow range. The Fairy
Penguin is a small penguin that uses its feathers as a way to control internal
temperature. In low ambient temperatures, their feathers stand up in order to trap more warm air
around their bodies in insulate them, which reduces heat lost from the
skin, and the penguins also huddle together to reduce exposure to the
cold, and they retreat to their burrows. In high ambient temperatures,
their feathers lie flat to reduce the air layer around them, and they move
into water to cool down the skin. The Australian Fur Seal uses its layers of
fur and by the blood vessels on their flippers. They have two layers of fur,
Australian Fur Seal which acts like a wetsuit when swimming, which reduces heat loss. The seals’

flippers have a lot of blood vessels that run through them, and when they need to cool down,
they hold up one of their flippers while swimming so that the wind Red Kangaroo

evaporates the water from the wet flipper, which cools it, and the blood
flowing through it. The Red Kangaroo also uses this evaporative cooling
method by giving itself a “saliva bath”. When the saliva evaporates, it cools
the kangaroo. This is similar of sweating, and panting. Panting is a way that
the kangaroo can evaporate moisture, but they can also control this
evaporation so they don’t lose too much water, by changing the amount of
airflow through the nostrils.

Ectothermic organisms and endothermic organisms differ in their adaptations and responses to changes
in ambient temperatures, because their bodies produce and control heat in different ways. Ectothermic
organisms gain their heat from an external source, which means that internally, they have little control
over their core temperature. Due to this, the majority of their adaptations for thermoregulation are, and
need to be, behavioural adaptations. On the contrary, endothermic organisms gain their heat through
controlling their metabolic rate, which means that externally they have little control over their core
temperature, so behavioural changes would not entirely suffice. Due to this reason, the majority of their
adaptations are functional and structural. Behavioural adaptations of ectotherms include moving in and
out of the sun, whereas functional and structural adaptations of endotherms include having insulating
layers of fur and feathers, and having thinner skin to expel heat.

Australian flora has also developed adaptations to assist in temperature regulation. There are many
methods that are used by plants to survive high and low ambient
temperatures. Some adaptations that are used in high temperatures include
evaporative cooling through transpiration, wilting, and the increase of
metabolic rate to control temperature. This increase in metabolic rate
occurs in thermogenic plants, and the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an
Sacred Lotus example of this. Located in Australia and Asia, this flower maintains a steady
temperature of 32° through its ability to heat up by altering its Deciduous Beech
metabolic rate when the ambient temperature drops. When ambient
temperatures are low, some plants use organic ‘anti-freeze’, vernalisation or
dormancy as a survival adaptation. The Deciduous Beech (Nothofagus gunnii) is
a tree that uses dormancy to survive the cold winter months in Tasmania. In
late April and May, after its leaves change colour, it loses its leaves for a period of dormancy through
winter, and this allows it to survive the cold temperatures, lack of water and sunlight.

Numerous adaptations and responses to changes in temperature are employed by varying Australian
fauna and flora. Ectothermic and endothermic animals differ in their responses, due to the way that
they gain heat and maintain their internal temperatures. Plants use multiple adaptations to survive hot
and cold temperatures, depending on their structure and how they function.

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