Differentiate between regulators & conformers? Why do small animals not show regulations?
Those organisms who maintain homeostasis by physiological or behavioral means & ensure a constant body temperature & constant osmotic concentration etc. are called regulators e.g. all birds, mammals some lower vertebrates & invertebrates, for example in summer, when the outside temp is more than our body temperature we sweat profusely evaporative cooling brings the body temp – down. Whereas those organisms cannot maintain a constant internal environment. The body temperature of these organisms changes with ambient temperature. e.g., In the case of the majority of animals & nearly all plants. Thus, thermoregulation is an energy-expensive process, small organisms do not show regulation. Small animals tend to lose body heat very fast when it is cold outside because of a large surface area relative to volume. They have to expend a lot of energy to generate body heat through metabolism.
