Sunday, 3 August 2014

Describe an example of dormancy.

Dormancy is a period during the life of an organism when growth and development are temporarily halted. This enables the organism to conserve energy by minimizing metabolic acitvity. Dormancy may be triggered by: day length, temperature, lack of water or food, or other environmental stresses.


Example - African Lungfish: Lungfish experience a period of dormancy in response to drought. These fish burrow into the mud when the water supply is low, surrounding themselves in...

Dormancy is a period during the life of an organism when growth and development are temporarily halted. This enables the organism to conserve energy by minimizing metabolic acitvity. Dormancy may be triggered by: day length, temperature, lack of water or food, or other environmental stresses.


Example - African Lungfish: Lungfish experience a period of dormancy in response to drought. These fish burrow into the mud when the water supply is low, surrounding themselves in a cocoon of mud slime. During this time, the gills of the lungfish are nonfunctional. Instead, they rely on an air bladder for respiration. Energy is obtained from fat reserves. They conserve water by excreting urea instead of ammonia. Urea is less toxic and can be excreted with less water. 

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