Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Heating and Cooling Curves

Heating and Cooling Curves

When a substance—isolated from its environment—is subjected to heat changes, corresponding changes in temperature and phase of the substance is observed; this is graphically represented by heating and cooling curves.
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...

Body Temperature

Body Temperature

The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...

Body Temperature

Body Temperature

Body temperature reflects the equilibrium between heat production and heat loss within the body. Most heat is generated by metabolically active tissues, particularly the liver, heart, brain, kidneys, and endocrine organs. At rest, skeletal muscles contribute 20–30% of total heat production, but during vigorous exercise, this can increase up to 30–40 times.
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C...

Thermoregulation

Thermoregulation

The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...

Production Efficiency

Production Efficiency

Net production efficiency (NPE) is the efficiency at which organisms assimilate energy into biomass for the next trophic level. Due to low metabolic rates and less energy spent on thermoregulatory processes, the NPE of ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) is 10 times higher than endotherms (warm-blooded animals).

Mechanism of heat transfer

Mechanism of heat transfer

Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Energetic consequences of single and repeated freezing in the intertidal mussel, Mytilus trossulus.

Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology·2026

Same author

Elevated virus infection of honey bee queens reduces methyl oleate production and destabilizes colony-level social structure.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Leveraging synthetic data produced from museum specimens to train adaptable species classification models.

PloS one·2025

Same author

Preprints in comparative physiology - a guide for the preprint curious.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025

Same author

The cold tolerance of the terrestrial slug, Ambigolimax valentianus.

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology·2025

Same author

Assessing responses to heat in a range-shifting, nocturnal, flying squirrel.

Journal of mammalogy·2024

Same journal

Interaction between dynamic reinforcement learning and working memory of pigeon: A comparative modeling study.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Differential responses to photoperiod in juveniles of two migratory songbird species.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

A Drosophila overgrowth model reveals extracellular matrix crosslinking limits cardiovascular scaling.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Control of High-speed Jumps: Removing rotation from the jumps of locusts (Schistocerca gregaria).

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Limits and mechanisms of honey bee colonial thermoregulation in the heat.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Correction: Sprinting performance is linked to surface activity in scorpions.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

Do endotherms have thermal performance curves?

Danielle L Levesque¹, Katie E Marshall²

¹School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA danielle.l.levesque@maine.edu.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|February 4, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Thermal performance curves (TPCs) help study ectotherm temperature-performance links. New approaches are needed to model endotherm responses to temperature, defining performance and endothermy costs/benefits.

Keywords:

Critical limits Heterothermy Scholander–Irving model Temperature Thermal profiles Thermal tolerance

More Related Videos

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Published on: November 6, 2015

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Published on: November 6, 2015

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

Area of Science:

Comparative ecophysiology
Thermoregulation
Animal performance

Background:

Temperature critically influences ectotherm growth, survival, and reproduction.
Thermal performance curves (TPCs) standardize ectotherm performance comparisons.
Endothermy complicates modeling performance relative to environmental temperature due to metabolic heat production and physiological adjustments.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare potential TPC analogues for endotherms.
To suggest methods for modeling endotherm performance across temperatures.
To establish a common framework for evaluating temperature effects on endotherm performance.

Main Methods:

Review and comparison of existing performance metrics and TPC analogues.
Discussion of challenges in endotherm ecophysiology.
Proposal of future research directions.

Main Results:

Existing TPCs are less applicable to endotherms.
Endothermy necessitates distinct approaches to model temperature-performance relationships.
A comparative approach focusing on body temperature precision and direct performance measures is crucial.

Conclusions:

Developing endotherm-specific performance models requires defining 'performance' relative to body temperature.
Modeling the costs and benefits of endothermy is key.
Future research should integrate comparative physiology, direct performance measurements, and mechanistic modeling.