homothermic

Thân thiện

Birds are homothermic animals that maintain a warm body temperature.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Maintaining a constant and relatively high internal body temperature: Describes animals, specifically birds and mammals, that can regulate their body temperature internally, keeping it stable and warm regardless of the external environment. This is a characteristic of endotherms.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:
  • Humans are homothermic, which allows us to live in a wide range of climates.
  • Unlike reptiles, homothermic animals like sparrows remain active in cold weather.
  • The homothermic nature of whales is crucial for their survival in icy oceans.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific/Technical Context: The term is primarily used in biological, zoological, and physiological contexts to describe thermoregulation.
  • The study compared the metabolic rates of homothermic and poikilothermic species.

Variants and Related Words

• Homeothermic (adj): A variant spelling with the same meaning.
• Endothermic (adj): Related term describing organisms that generate heat internally to maintain body temperature; often used interchangeably with "homothermic" in general contexts, though "endothermic" can more specifically refer to the heat-generation process.
• Warm-blooded (adj): A common, non-technical synonym.
• Poikilothermic (adj): The antonym; describing organisms with a variable body temperature that changes with the environment (e.g., reptiles, fish).

Synonyms

• Warm-blooded
• Endothermic (in general usage)
• Homeothermic

Antonyms

• Poikilothermic
• Cold-blooded (non-technical)
• Ectothermic

Học thuật

Adjective

1. of birds and mammals; having constant and relatively high body temperature

Từ đồng nghĩa

• homoiothermic
• homeothermic