Adaptations of Mammals to Arid Australian Environments :: Environment Australia Animals Essays

Adaptations of Mammals to Arid Australian EnvironmentsAbstractHigh temperatures and low come downfall characterize much of Australia. It is problematic to believe that animals can survive in arid conditions, much slight prosper. Yet there is a whole range of mammals, among another(prenominal) liveliness forms, that do. These animals survive because they sport adaptations that allow them to live in the hot, dry conditions. The die hard of the adaptations is to balance thermoregulation with irrigate gain and loss. For instance, many mammals that live in the cast off obtain much or all of their water from the food they consume. The minify water intake is partially balanced through concentrated peeing and dry faeces. Evaporative cooling helps to regulate temperature. To limit the water lose through evaporative cooling, mammals ar nocturnal, have light coloration and other system features to help dissipate heat, and use microenvironments to reduce heat gain. This i s that a short list of the many amazing adaptations Australian mammals have to survive the harsh arid conditions however, it serves to illustrate the balance between thermoregulation and water regulation. IntroductionSeventy percent of Australia is considered arid or semi-arid (Climate averages, 2000). Arid regions are characterized by receiving 100-250 millimeters of rain a year, and semi-arid regions are characterized by receiving 250-500 mm of rain per year (Costa, 1995). The average rainfall in Australia is only 165 mm per year (Climate averages, 2002). Not only are these regions faced with sparse rainfall, except they are also confronted with extreme temperatures. During the summer months of January and February, temperatures regularly exceed 40C in the arid regions (Climate averages, 2002). The temperatures are even more sear for small animals that live close to the ground because the soil becomes much hotter than the blood (Walsberg, 2000). Therefore, Australian mammals must have adaptations to cope with the heat and lack of accessible water. Additionally, they must have adaptations to balance thermoregulation with water regulation. This paper will foretell these adaptations and explain how they work. Homeothermy Mammals can be broadly classified as homeotherms, which essence their body temperature is relatively independent of the external environmental temperature (Ricklefs, 2001). Mammals and birds keep their body temperatures between 37C and 38C, however there are exceptions (Walsberg, 2000). Maintaining a constant internal temperature requires animals to have mechanisms to regulate their body temperature.