AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Although hibernation in mammals is often associated with changes in resource availability caused by cold temperatures, hibernation in amphibians and reptiles most likely is a direct response to cold temperatures and secondarily to changes in resource availability.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cold weather is the stimulus that causes some animals to hibernate to conserve food stored in the body (ex. bears). Hibernation is a special, very deep sleep. During hibernation the animal’s body temperature drops and its heartbeat and breathing slow down.

Detailed explanation-3: -Hibernating animals get ready for their winter sleep by eating extra food and storing it as body fat which they then use as energy while sleeping. There are two types of fat – regular white fat and brown fat. The brown fat forms patches near the animal’s brain, heart and lungs.

Detailed explanation-4: -For hibernators sensitive to temperature, trends in warmer weather are likely to reduce the duration of hibernation, while disparate patterns in the snowpack could create trophic mismatches for animals that emerge prior to the onset of spring food resources (Inouye et al., 2000).