Talk:Poikilotherm

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Temperature varies from causes other than environmental variation?

Are all poikilotherms also ectotherms? Or are there examples of endotherms allowing their temperature to fluctuate (in which case this term would overlap with heterothermy)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.131.16.228 (talk) 08:18, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

"...some ectotherms remain in temperature-constant environments to the point that they are actually able to maintain a constant internal temperature..." What is this supposed to mean? Also: "Usually the variation is a consequence of variation in the ambient environmental temperature." Is it ever not? And how do you pronounce this horrid little word? ccp — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.43.12.61 (talk) 21:50, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

Whenever a vertebrate eats (not sure about invertebrates, but I would imagine they are the same) there is an increase in body temperature due to the chemical process of digestion. This is independent of ambient temperature. So, even in a constant ambient temperature, an animal's body temperature will vary if allowed to behave freely.__DrChrissy (talk) 23:42, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

Can the term be applied to species of plants?

The article uses the generic term 'organism' which can apply to plants as well as animals. Yet there is no mention of plants in the article. If the term only applies, logically, to animals, I would think that should be indicated in the article. If not, then some discussion of the internal temperature of plants, or a reference to such a discussion, I think would be called for. Ken M Quirici 17:00, 1 September 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kquirici (talk • contribs)

Unclear sentence in "Physiology"

In the section we find this sentence:

The metabolism of poikilotherms favors strategies such as sit-and-wait hunting over chasing prey for larger animals with high movement cost.

After hunting occurs the complex prepositional phrase that is the complement of favors and whose parts are marked by over, for, and with. After over everything seems figure in a single phrase in which for...cost modifies chasing, and with...cost modifies either animals or poikilotherms. Thus the syntax as it stands makes the sentence mean this:

The metabolism of poikilotherms favors strategies such as sit-and-wait hunting over chasing prey on behalf of/to give to larger animals whose movements come with a high cost for them [sc. those larger animals themselves]/involve a high movement cost for them [sc. the poikilotherms].

I can understand that poikilotherms' metabolism makes them favor sit-and-wait hunting over chasing prey, but what I do not understand is whether they are physically able to chase prey but the chasing would involve high movement costs, or whether they are physically unable to chase prey because only larger animals have a metabolism that allows them to pay the high movement costs. Whoever revises for clarity should also let the reader know just what those high movement costs are—something to do with regulation of body temperature through panting perhaps, or strain on muscles? Wordwright (talk) 23:28, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

"Adaptations in poikilotherm" are examples of homeothermy?

I am no specialist but most of those examples are examples of organisms finding ways to maintain the same temperature, which strikes me as the opposite of poikilothermy.

--Williamlowry1 (talk) 11:42, 20 November 2021 (UTC)