Thermal ecology

Ways that animals can control their body temperature include generating heat through daily activity and cooling down through prolonged inactivity at night.

Because this cannot be done by marine animals, they have adapted to have traits such as a small surface-area-to-volume ratio to minimize heat transfer with their environment and the creation of antifreeze in the body for survival in extreme cold conditions.

[4] The Strix occidentalis, or the California spotted owl, has a preferred temperature range of around 18.20-35.20 °C and is less tolerant to heat than most other birds, exhibiting behaviors such as wing drooping and increased breathing at 30-34 °C.

In addition, ectotherms, similarly to endotherms, are generally larger in size when living in colder climates, following the temperature-size rule.

[7] Factors that affect the capture and maintaining of heat in plants include flower orientation, size and shape, coloration, opening and closure, pubescence, and thermogenesis.