Physiological of

Physiology of the Extreme

extreme
 5.1 Physiological adaptations in
mammals

Sub-topics 5.2 Human Response to physiological

stress

5.3 Current and emerging trends in

extreme physiology
 • Structural, behavioural and physiological
Adaptation “features that enable organisms to survive
and reproduce in different environments.
• They have a genetic basis and are passed
from generation to generation” (Cotton
2016, p.210)
 Types of adaptations

Structural Behavioural Physiological

adaptations adaptations adaptations
 • is an internal body process to regulate
and maintain homeostasis for an
organism to survive in the environment in
Physiological which it exists.
adaptation  • Examples include temperature regulation,
release of toxins or poisons, releasing
antifreeze proteins to avoid freezing in
cold environments and the release of
nectar to attract prey.
Antarctic fish have "antifreeze"
proteins in their blood.
•Five families of notothenioid fish make
their own "antifreeze" proteins to survive in
the frigid Southern Ocean encircling
Antarctica. The proteins bind to ice crystals
in their blood, preventing the fish from
freezing. 
•This adaptation that is so extraordinary
that it helps explains why these fish make
up 90% of the fish biomass of the region. 
 African bullfrogs create mucus
"homes" to survive the dry season
•The African bullfrog lives in the savanna of Africa,
where it gets very hot and dry. When a frog is out of
the water, mucus on its skin helps it breathe by
dissolving oxygen from the air. So, in order to
prevent its skin from drying out in the hot African
climate, the African bullfrog buries itself 6 to 8
inches underground.
•It then creates a mucus membrane, which hardens
into a cocoon. The frog can stay in this cocoon for up
to 7 years while it waits for rain. When rain does
arrive, the moisture softens the mucus sac, waking
the frog, and signaling the start of the rainy season
— the time when the frog breeds and when it is the
most active. 
Kangaroo rats survive without ever
drinking water.
•Kangaroo rats have adapted to survive
in the desert without ever taking a sip
of water. Instead, they get all the
moisture they need from the seeds that
they eat. These critters also have
incredible hearing and can jump up to
nine feet, which helps them avoid
predators.
Okapi have scent-glands on their feet.
•Okapi are strange animals that look like a
combination of a giraffe and a zebra. They live in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, where it's very hot
and predators, such as leopards, are always lurking.
•To stay alive, okapi have a three key adaptations.
First, they have scent-glands on their feet to mark
their territory. Second, they have infrasonic calls,
which allows them to communicate with their calves
without predators hearing their call.
•Finally, they have 14-18 inch-long tongues, which
can be used to wash their eyes and ears.
1. Venus Fly Trap
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eQKSf0LmY

2. Blood Squirting Lizards

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgB4u6Mgy2M&list=PLPk5dek-y
Arc9EDCXBhEcX1qLdGBTsoZv
Venus Fly Trap:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eQKSf0LmY
• Nectar across the brim of leaf
• Biological timer- electrical impulse to close leaves
• Digestive enzymes to consume prey
Blood Squirting Lizard:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgB4u6Mgy2M&list=PLPk5dek-y
Arc9EDCXBhEcX1qLdGBTsoZv
• Blends in or camouflages with environment
• K9 repellent chemicals
• Blood squirting out of eyes
• It first examines how mammals survive in extreme cold environments, including
polar regions, and then hot and dry environments, including the harshest
deserts. Adaptations are described for mammals that live underground in often
hypoxic, hypercapnic, and humid environments; at high altitudes in a hypoxic and
cold environment; and underwater, where they must cope with extended
apnoea and limited oxygen stores as well as high pressures in very deep ocean
environments. How various mammals are adapted for specialized cursorial or
brachiating locomotion, migration, and have occupied the aerial environment as
gliders—and bats as powered fliers—is then described. Finally, the chapter
explores how various mammals are able to exploit food sources that are
generally difficult to digest (i.e. diets including keratin, bone, waxes, chitin, and
plant cells containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and plant secondary metabolites).
 Physiological of adaptation in extreme
environment - desert

• Two characteristics of the desert i.e., high temperature and scarcity of

rainfall determine the occurrence, distribution and adaptations of desert
animals.
• Rodents of the desert can live on dry seeds, succulent cacti and other plants
that store water and do not require drinking water. They stay in burrows
during the day to avoid evaporation and water loss and conserve water by
excreting highly concentrated urine and by not using water for temperature
regulation. Hibernation is necessary for many ectothermic animals of the
desert.