Organisms may be conformers or regulators.” Explain this statement and give one example of each.
Regulators are organisms that are able to maintain homoeostasis by physiological and behavioural means. All birds and mammals and few lower vertebrate and invertebrate species maintain homoeostasis by thermoregulation and osmoregulation, e.g. birds and mammals. However, a majority (99%) of animals and nearly all plants cannot maintain a constant internal environment, i. e. their body temperature is not constant. They are conformers, e.g. fishes, frogs, etc. (ii) There are more conformers than regulators in the animal world because conformers lack the capability to maintain a constant internal environment or homoeostasis. It is limited to birds, mammals and few lower vertebrate and invertebrate species only because it is a very energy-expensive process.
