In animate thermodynamics, animal thermodynamics is the study of the application of the laws and principles of thermodynamics to systems of interactive animals.
History
In 1894, American mechanical engineer Robert Thurston published his The Animal as Machine and Prime Mover, containing various sections on thermodynamics. [7]
The first to coin the term animal thermodynamics seems to have been Irish-Scottish physicist William Thomson who in 1903 stated:
“It seems indeed, with our present want of experimental knowledge of animal thermodynamics and with such knowledge as we have of physical thermodynamics, that the breath of an animal kept for considerable time in a hot-water bath above the natural temperature of its body may be found to contain no carbonic acid at all.”
The first to apply thermodynamics to animals, in a system sense, i.e. in terms of the energies of interactions between animals, e.g. trigger action, was American physical chemist Alfred Lotka and his 1926 Elements of Physical Biology. [2]
A noted piece of work is the 1975 article “Fever and Survival”, summarizing the experimental work of American zoologist Matthew Kluger, wherein it was found that lizards (desert Iguanas), first injected with infectious bacteria, who normally develop a fever of about 2°C, placed in one of three ambient temperature environments: (a) neutral (38°C), (b) low (34°C), or (c) high (40°C), showed increased host survival with an elevation in temperature. [8]
Recent
In 2002 American psychologist Mark Blumberg, in his book Body Heat: Temperature and Life on Earth, summarized much of the historical work done on the relationship between temperature, thermodynamics, and animal behaviors, such as the surface law in relation to elephants, the 1970s fever-temperature studies of Matthew Kluger, and the loss of thermoregulation behaviors, e.g. shivering, during REM sleep, such as been studied in cats. [3]
One relatively popular recent study is a 1993 study of system temperature and the reproduction behaviors of the Leopard Gecko, who were discovered to have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Research shows that more females can be produced in predominantly cool temperatures (about 26–30 °C (79–86°F)) and very warm temperatures (about 34–35 °C (93–95°F)). It was recorded that males can be produced at the intermediate temperatures (about 31–33 °C (88–91°F)). Females born in the higher temperatures differed from those who were born in the lower temperatures hormonally and behaviorally. Those born in the warmer temperatures expressed more aggressive behavior. These are known as "hot females" and are often determined to be infertile, that is unable to reproduce. [5]
An example of recent work is the study of heat dependent proteins in relation to high and low temperature system environments of animals, such as fish in cold environments or snails in hot environments; much of which seems to be driven by a need to understand potential future implications of global warming on animals. [4]
See also
● Limnological thermodynamics
● Plant thermodynamics
● Bacteria thermodynamics
References
1. Kelvin, Alfred. (1903). “Animal Thermostat” (animate thermodynamics, pg. 202), The London, Edinburg, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 5(6): Jan-Jun.
2. Lotka, Alfred. (1926). Elements of Physical Biology. Publisher.
3. Blumberg, Mark S. (2002). Body Heat: Temperature and Life on Earth. Harvard University Press.
4. (a) Kirkland, Kyle. (2007). Time and Thermodynamics (pgs. 41-). Infobase Publishing.
(b) Gartner, Ulrich. (2011). “Hot Snail Project” (projects), Uni Tübingen, Funded by the German Research Council.
5. (a) Viets, B.E., Tousignant, A., Ewert, M.A., Nelson, C.E., Crews, D. (1993). “Temperature Dependent Sex Determination in the Leopard Gecko, Eublepharis macularius.” The Journal of Experimental Zoology. 265: 679–683.
(b) Leopard gecko – Wikipedia.
7. Thurston, Robert Henry (1878). A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine (Ch. 7: "The Philosophy of the Steam Engine: Energetics and Thermo-Dynamics). D. Appleton and Company.
8. Kluger, Matthew, Ringler, and D.H. and Anver, M.R. (1975). “Fever and Survival” (abs), Science, 188(4184): 166-68.
Further reading
● Warner, D.A. and Shine, R. (2008). “The Adaptive Significance of Temperature-dependent Sex Determination in a Reptile” (abs), Nature, 451: 566-68.
● Crews, David and Bull, James J. (2008). “Sex Determination: Some Like it Hot (and Some Don’t)” (abs), Nature 451: 527-28.
● Rodrigues, Valeria, Silva, Iran, Viera, Frederico, Nascimento, Sheila. (2010). “Communication: A Correct Enthalpy Relationship as Thermal Comfort Index for Livestock”, International Journal of Biometeorology (abs), Jul 10.
