[Campbell Biology P.937] Based on the 'WHAT IF?' scenario, if a female Burmese python withou... | Practice Question

Based on the 'WHAT IF?' scenario, if a female Burmese python without a clutch of eggs were subjected to varying environmental temperatures and did not show shivering behavior, what would be the expected variation in her oxygen consumption with environmental temperature?

  • A: Her oxygen consumption would significantly increase as temperature decreases, similar to an incubating python.
  • B: Her oxygen consumption would remain constant regardless of temperature, as she is not incubating.
  • C: Her oxygen consumption would show minimal variation with temperature, as shivering, the main contributor to heat generation via oxygen use, is absent.
  • D: Her oxygen consumption would decrease sharply as environmental temperature decreases, indicating a shutdown of metabolic activity.

Explanation

The passage states that the python's increased oxygen consumption and heat generation when incubating was 'paralleled an increase in the rate of muscle contraction' shivering . If shivering behavior is absent, the primary mechanism by which the python actively generates heat via increased oxygen consumption is removed, leading to minimal variation in oxygen consumption with temperature, as its metabolic rate would largely follow ambient temperature like a typical ectotherm.