Camels – Adaptations to Extreme Environments

The Camel How it has Adapted Organisms exist in many surrounds, more or less are arid, some flooded, some are basic, some acidic, some are hot, and some are cool. Regardless of the conditions, animals invite accommodate themselves to live on in their surroundings. One of the main ecosystems that is classed as an utmost(prenominal) environment is the desert ecosystem. A classic example of a desert is the Sahara. hungriness is a characteristic shared amongst all deserts. As reported by Smith (2013), the reason most deserts are arid is because of rough levels of evapotranspiration and precipitation.Aswel as adapting to very dry conditions, organisms in a desert ecosystem have also adapted to hot temperatures. The temperatures range from as high as 40oC during the day to as low as below freezing during the wickedness cod to lack of cloud cover. Evolution As wrote by want & bowelless (1986) in the late Eocene period and to the end of Miocene, camels evolved and diversified whol e in North the States. During this time they were similar in size to rabbits, and their feet contained quartet toes. In Oligocene times, camels were similar in size to goats, with the lost of the lateral toes, with the rest digits showing signs of evolution.During the Miocene time, camels adapted a new of walking, it is know as pace gait. This is where the camel moved both left or both right legs in one movement, instead of opposite legs. During this time camels feet produced pad like structures, which helped them from sink in soft terrain i. e sand. Then they arrived in South America during the Plio-Pleistocene times. This is where they diversified into 2 more genus under Camelinae family of the more known species, llama and alpaca, and 2 less known, guanaco and vicuna.As this happened, they crossed into the Old World, where they then spread crosswise Europe, Asia and Africa, this is where they branched out into the single experienceed genus Camelus Dromedarius, and double re cogniseed Camelus Bactrianus. Characteristics of Camelus Dromedarius An animal that has adapted well to this environment is the Camelus Dromedarius. Wilson (1984) as cited by Kohler-Rollefson (1991) describes the features of the camels body. Dromedary camels have a shoulder height of at least 1. 8m, with the hump extending a further 20cm. They lowlife weights upwards of 400kg.Dromedary camels have a long upward curved neck, with a single hump on its back. This is all supported by their long, strong legs and wide webbed feet. physical structure Temperature / Water Conservation In the desert temperatures fluctuate. On average, a dried camels body temperature fluctuates by up to 8oC in a single day, it can increase from an average of 34-36 to 42oC. There is less of a sport if the camel is hydrated (2oC). If camels did non tolerate this fluctuation in temperature and instead tried to reenforcement the body cool, up to 5 litres of water system could be lost due to sweating.This allo ws the camel to conserve water and energy. The camel then takes advantage of the cool evenings to dissipate heat, with no energy cost. Camels, like all former(a) mammals do sweat to continue an acceptable temperature, however, it is non continuous. (Mares, 1999). Composition of Camels Hump Mares (1999), reports that a common misconception associated with camels is that their hump is composed of water, this has been disproven, and instead replaced with the fact this it is generative. Another common misconception associated with a camels hump is that water is produced by the oxidation of rich.This is has been proven to be false, or at least, partially untrue as the oxidation of fat requires an change magnitude group O intake, this results in an increased rate of breathing, which increases the amount of water lost as vapour from the lungs. This nullifies the effect of the metabolized fat, yielding no net gain in water. As previously discussed, camels have adapted to keep their bo dies cool, without sacrificing water. Another modification that is seen with camels is that their main fat store is their hump. A camel does not store fat on other parts of their body.This is because the fat would act as insularism and reduce the amount of heat lost at night, at a time when the temperature is cooler, and most heat dissipation occurs. Excretion in Camels Richards (1973) as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) explores the fact that camels are able to produce urine that contains double as much salt as sea water. It was noted by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) that the Kidney is composed of Henle loops of varying lengths. Camels are seen to contain a lot of lasting loops than any other species, so there is a bigger authority for water to be reabsorbed, and the urine becoming concentrated.This coincides with the camels ability to facilitate water and plants with a salt content higher than normal. Schmidt-Nielsen (1964) as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) compared the mountain of uri ne excreted by the camel while hydrated and while dehydrated. The camel while hydrated, excreted up to 4 litres of urine in a single day, compared to the when it was dehydrated, where it excreted up to one-half a litre of urine. It was also noted that the camel produced faeces, almost completely wanting of water.It was composed of a large number of pellets approximately 3cm in length. As they lacked water, they were light to lift, with a shiny appearance. Conclusion Camels like animals in other extreme environments have adapted well to suit their environment of temperature fluctuations and a lack of water. Camels have evolved in such a way that move has been made easier, they do not sink into the sand, so they do not expend more energy than is needed. The camels adaptation to a large fluctuation in body temperature allows water to be conserved as it is not lost as sweat.The camels hump proves as an invaluable energy inauguration when food sources are scarce, as is common in deser t ecosystems, the fat is metabolized and used as energy. Its all these adaptations that allows the camel to live in such an extreme environment. The absence of one or more of these adaptations would lead to the inability of camels to survive in this environment. In this day and age global warming is increase the average temperature of the earths atmosphere, if there was a significant increase, could these organism handle an increased temperature luctuation? References Jeremy M. B. Smith desert 2013. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. Retrieved 01 March, 2013, from http//www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/158992/desert Kohler-Rollefson, Ilse U, (1991). Camelus Dromedarius. Mammalian Species. 375 (1-8), pp. 1-4 Mares, Michael A. , (1999). cyclopaedia of Deserts. 1st ed. Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press. Richards, S. A. , 1973. Adaptation to heat. In Temperature regulation. London, Wykeham Publications, pp. 191-197 as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. , (1981).The Camel (Camelus Dromed arius) A Bibliographical Review. 1st ed. Ethiopia International Livestock Centre of Africa Savage R. J. G & Long, M. R. , (1986). Mammal Evolution. 1st ed. United Kingdom Facts on send & The British Museum. Schmidt-Nielsen, K. 1964. The Camel. In Desert Animals physiological problems of heat and water. Oxford, Clarendon press, 277 pp as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. , (1981). The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius) A Bibliographical Review. 1st ed. Ethiopia International Livestock Centre of Africa