Question

Different animals respond to changes in their surroundings in different ways. Taking one example each, explain “some animals undergo aestivation while some others hibernate”. How do fungi respond to adverse climatic conditions?

Answer 1

Hint: Hibernation is a response to cold winters of temperature climates and is a state of reduced body activity. Aestivation is similar to hibernation and it is a dormant stage an animal assumes in response to adverse environmental conditions.

Complete Answer:
A) Aestivation also known as “summer sleep”. It occurs in animals that live in deserts and tropical regions.
- Aestivation takes place to protect animals from hot and dry climate and also protect from scarcity of food, water.
- A lungfish can aestivate and live without water and food for three years. The only motive of aestivation is to prevent water loss or dehydration and to save energy. Snails, earthworms, frogs are examples.
B) Hibernation takes place for a longer duration and is also known as winter sleep. It is the condition in which animals go dormant during winters by lowering their metabolic activities. This can be seen in reptiles, to overcome food shortage during hibernation, these animals intake a lot of food and store I the form of excess fat.
Examples of hibernating species are ants, snakes, beavers, black bears and ground squirrels.

- Fungi produces thick walled spores that help in surviving in unfavourable conditions. It further enters the reproductive cycle when it receives favourable conditions. Climate change alters the growing patterns of mushrooms, and other fungi.

Note: Low metabolic process by the animals in summers during hibernation while in aestivation low metabolic process by the animals in winters. Hibernation is also called winter sleep and aestivation is also called summer sleep.