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Hibernation may be predictive or consequential. An animal prepares for hibernation by building up a thick layer of body fat during late summer and autumn that will provide it with energy during the dormant period. During hibernation, the animal undergoes many physiological changes, including decreased heart rate (by as much as 95%) and ...
Aestivation (Latin: aestas (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, that is entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions. [ 1 ]
As hibernation is a seasonal response, the movement of the ancestor of birds and mammals onto land introduced them to seasonal pressures that would eventually become hibernation. [45] This is true for all clades of animals that undergo winter dormancy; the more prominent the seasons are, the longer the dormant period tends to be on average.
While hibernation is a state of prolonged dormancy where physiological processes significantly slow down, brumation is the reptilian equivalent seen in cold-blooded animals. Unlike hibernating ...
With hibernation, the warm-blooded animal will deeply sleep until spring and will not eat or drink until it awakens, whereas cold-blooded animals that brumate do not go into a deep sleep and will ...
Dormancy caused by an impermeable seed coat is known as physical dormancy. Physical dormancy is the result of impermeable layer(s) that develops during maturation and drying of the seed or fruit. [12] This impermeable layer prevents the seed from taking up water or gases. As a result, the seed is prevented from germinating until dormancy is broken.
Many animals, including large ones, may undergo hibernation, and most plants have periods of dormancy. This article focuses primarily on the potential of large animals, especially humans, to undergo suspended animation. In animals, suspended animation may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature.
Some animals seasonally go into long periods of inactivity, with reduced body temperature and metabolism, made up of multiple bouts of torpor. This is known as hibernation if it occurs during winter or aestivation if it occurs during the summer.