Key Difference – Eurythermal vs Stenothermal Animals
Living organisms are scattered all over the world. However, their distribution is not even. Their ability to survive and reproduce is mostly dependent on abiotic factors such as temperature, pH, salinity, moisture, humidity, oxygen levels, etc. Organisms that are best adapted to the environmental conditions of that particular area are dominant while other organisms are dominant in other areas. Based on the temperature tolerance, different groups of organisms are defined. Among them, eurythermal and stenothermal animals are two categories. Eurythermal animals are able to tolerate a wide range of temperature levels. Eurythermal animals include cat, dog, man, goat, tiger, etc. Stenothermal animals are those who can tolerate a narrow range of temperature levels. Stenothermal animals include a penguin, python, crocodile, etc. The key difference between the eurythermal and stenothermal animals is the range of temperature that they can tolerate. Eurythermal animals can tolerate a wide range of temperatures while stenothermal animals can tolerate only a narrow range of temperatures.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Eurythermal Animals
3. What are Stenothermal Animals
4. Similarities Between Eurythermal and Stenothermal Animals
5. Side by Side Comparison – Eurythermal vs Stenothermal Animals in Tabular Form
6. Summary
Who are Eurythermal Animals?
Eurythermal animals are those who can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They are able to function at a wide range of body temperatures. Eurythermal animals show less sensitivity to temperature or they show comparatively low temperature sensitivity. Hence, they are not affected by the temperatures.
Figure 01: Eurythermal Animal – Green Crab
Since estuarine environments constantly subject to a wide range of temperature fluctuation, species that survive in estuarine environments are mostly eurythermal organisms. Examples of eurythermal animals are desert pupfish, green crabs, tiger, man, cat, dog, etc.
Who are Stenothermal Animals?
Stenothermal animals are those who are able to tolerate a narrow range of temperatures. Marine and soil organisms are mostly stenothermal. They are able to survive at certain temperatures. And the temperature of the stenothermal animals varies from species to species. Stenothermal animals are main two types namely thermophilic animals and cryophilic animals. Thermophilic animals can live only in higher temperatures. Examples of thermophilic animals include reptiles, insect species, etc. Cryophilic animals can live only at low temperatures.
Figure 02: Stenothermal Animal – Seal
Since stenothermal animals are temperature sensitive, they are greatly affected by the temperature fluctuations. Examples of cryophilic animals include salmon, crustaceans, etc.
What are the Similarities Between Eurythermal and Stenothermal Animals?
- Both eurythermal and stenothermal animals are categorized based on the range of their temperature tolerance.
What is the Difference Between Eurythermal and Stenothermal Animals?
Eurythermal vs Stenothermal Animals |
|
| Eurythermal animals are the animals those can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. | Stenothermal animals are the animals those can tolerate a narrow range of temperature or only certain temperatures. |
| Temperature Sensitivity | |
| Eurythermal animals show reduced temperature sensitivity. | Stenothermal animals show high-temperature sensitivity. |
| Bodily Functions | |
| Eurythermal animals are functioning at a wide range of body temperatures. | Stenothermal animals are not functioning at a wide range of body temperatures. |
| Types | |
| Eurythermal animals are only one type. | Stenothermal animals are two main types namely thermophilic and cryophilic. |
| Effect of Temperature | |
| Eurythermal animals are not affected by temperature. | Stenothermal animals are greatly affected by temperature. |
| Examples | |
| Eurythermal animals include goat, man, cat, dog, tiger, cow, sheep, monkey, green crab, etc. | Stenothermal animals include reptiles, crustaceans, insects, salmon, penguin, python, crocodile, etc. |
Summary – Eurythermal vs Stenothermal Animals
Temperature is an important abiotic factor that determines the survival of living organisms in different environments. Temperature controls the kinetics of the enzymes of an organism. Some animals are able to withstand a wide range of temperatures while some are restricted to a narrow range or a certain temperature. Eurythermal animals and stenothermal animals are two groups categorized based on the range of temperature tolerance. Eurythermal animals are those who can survive at a wide range of temperatures. They show reduced temperature sensitivity. Stenothermal animals are those who can survive at a narrow range of temperatures. They are sensitive to temperature fluctuation. Hence, stenothermal animals are greatly affected by temperatures while eurythermal animals are not affected. This is the difference between eurythermal and stenothermal animals.
Reference:
1.Give examples for eurythermal and stenothermal organisms – 2114123 | Meritnation.Com. Available here
2.“Eurytherm.” Eurytherm – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’CSIRO ScienceImage 865 Carcinus maenas European Green Crab’By CSIRO, (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Seehund’ (CC BY-SA 2.0 de) via Commons Wikimedia