heterotherm

Also found in: Medical.

heterotherm

[′hed·ə·rə‚thərm]

(ecology)

An animal that is endothermic part of the time but can reduce metabolic heat production and lower body temperature when conservation of food energy supplies is necessary.

References in periodicals archive ?

bellus) is a functional heterotherm with fluctuating body temperature values reported at 30-36 [degrees]C, depending on ambient conditions (McBee & Baker, 1982, and references therein).

A case of tail mutilation in a north Texas specimen of the Pleistocene Dasypus bellus (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae)

Hence, large body mass is critical for effective insect endothermy, especially prolonged flight on cold days, and that is why insect heterotherms tend to be large (Heinrich 1981, 1993).

The significance of body size in the Orthoptera: a review

Allometric relationships between size and fecundity have been established for plants and certain animal groups such as insects (Marshall 1990), fish (Wootton 1979), and heterotherms in general (Roff 1992); larger organisms tend to have greater fecundity within these groups.

Demography of birds in a neotropical forest: effects of allometry, taxonomy and ecology