Question

Compare and contrast ectothermy and endothermy, including their pros and cons.

Answer 1

Endothermy is just another word for the term "warm-blooded" and ectothermy is closest to the meaning of "cold-blooded." The obvious pros of endothermy is the ability to perform more activities within a larger range of temperatures. For example, a human would be able to walk around in 100 degree weather Fahrenheit. They would probably be sweating a lot to maintain body temperature and would require lots of water, but they could do it. In contrast, a Lizard would most likely be forced to stay in the shade under a rock or another place as they have no system for maintaining their body temperature, and thus would have to wait until the environmental temperature cooled down before they could find food or move around. The cons of endothermy is it requires a lot more energy for an organism to maintain homeostasis, which is also a pro of ectothermy as lizards and similar ectothermic organisms can utilize more of their energy to d food or move around. Hope this helps!