詞彙 Glossary

變溫動物 Poikilotherm

動物的體内沒有自身調節體温的機制,僅能靠自身行為來調節體熱的散發或從外界環境中吸收熱能來提高自身的體温。由於它們只需要較少的能量來維持體温,因此他們把食物轉化為身體生長的效率比恒温動物高。

A poikilotherm is an organism whose internal temperature varies according to environmental changes. It is the opposite of a homeotherm, an organism which maintains thermal homeostasis. As a poikilotherm requires less energy to maintain their body temperature, more energy is available for growth.