BIOL 350 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Stenocara Gracilipes, Desert Kangaroo Rat, California Ground Squirrel
Document Summary
The threat of dehydration is the major regulatory problem for many terrestrial plants and animals. Tendency towards water loss unless humidity >99 % Higher the temperature outside the higher the potential water loss. Terrestrial strategies to avoid desiccation: tolerance, escape/avoidance, regulating water uptake, storing water, reducing water loss, terrestrial animals & dehydration tolerance. There are a number of desert animals that are well adapted for minimizing water loss and can survive periods of time without drinking. Camel can lose 25% of body water and still survive. A human who loses half of that amount is going to die of heart failure. Camel lose water from fat first, not blood: tick capillaries for thicker blood, high albumin in blood binds water (protein, found in liver, keeps fluid from leaking out of blood vessels retains water) Kidneys and intestine reabsorb water: feces dry, urine concentrated.
