PRESENTATION TOPIC

DORMANCY

Presented By : Shakeela Naz

Submitted To : Ms. Naila Gul

Department of Zoology, KUST, Kohat
 What is Dormancy?
 Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth,
development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily
stopped.
 This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to
conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated
with environmental conditions.
 Organisms can synchronize entry to a dormant phase with
their environment through predictive or consequential means.
Predictive dormancy occurs when an organism enters a
dormant phase before the onset of adverse conditions.

For example, photoperiod and decreasing temperature are used

by many plants to predict the onset of winter
 Consequential dormancy occurs when organisms enter a dormant
phase after adverse conditions have arisen.

 This is commonly found in areas with an unpredictable climate.

 While very sudden changes in conditions may lead to a high mortality

rate among animals relying on consequential dormancy, its use can be
advantageous, as organisms remain active longer and are therefore able
to make greater use of available resources.
 DORMANCY IN ANIMALS

1) Hibernation
2) Aestivation
3) Diapause
 Hibernation
Hibernation is a mechanism used by many mammals to reduce energy
expenditure and survive food shortage over the winter.

Hibernation is a time when some animals go to sleep, they sleep all of

the way through the winter
As the weather gets colder, leaves star falling from the trees and some
animals start getting ready to hibernate.

Hibernation occurs when an animal become inactive, or “sleeps”

during the short, cold and harsh days of winter.

Some hibernating animals include bears, pygmy possum, bats, frogs,

snakes, lizards and snails.
 Why do animals hibernate?

 Animals hibernate because in winter time there is not much food to eat
and it is very cold.
 The animals make nice and warm places to sleep and have some food
stored away for when they make up.
 When the animals wake up it will be spring time.
 The weather will be warmer and there will be plenty of food to eat.
 Animals who hibernate do not eat and do not
freeze
 All they do is sleep, until spring
 AESTIVATION (SUMMER SLEEP OR SUMMER DORMANCY)

 Some animals have ability to remain dormant during unfavourable

summer months when there is water scarcity or intense heat.
 Aestivation is shown by desert animals and variety of them like snail,
ground squirrel etc.
SOME ANIMALS SHOW BOTH AESTIVATION AND HIBERNATION;

For example

 Snail show hibernation and aestivation according to availability of water.

 Ground squirrel aestivate in summer and hibernate in winter.

 Mammals like kangroo rat, pocket mouse aestivate when there is
shortage of food.
 Whereas in white footed mouse aestivation occurs when there is
shortage of water.
 In some birds like swift aestivation is due to scarcity of food.
 DIAPAUSE
 Diapause is a predictive strategy that is predetermined by an animals
genotype.
 Diapause is common in insects, allowing them to suspend development
between autumn and spring , and mammals such as the roe deer ungulate with
embryonic diapause, in which a delay in attachment of the embryo to the
uterine lining ensures that offspring are born in spring, when condition are
most favorable.