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Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation in reptiles: a review

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Abstract

The thermal dependence of biochemical reaction rates means that many animals regulate their body temperature so that fluctuations in body temperature are small compared to environmental temperature fluctuations. Thermoregulation is a complex process that involves sensing of the environment, and subsequent processing of the environmental information. We suggest that the physiological mechanisms that facilitate thermoregulation transcend phylogenetic boundaries. Reptiles are primarily used as model organisms for ecological and evolutionary research and, unlike in mammals, the physiological basis of many aspects in thermoregulation remains obscure. Here, we review recent research on regulation of body temperature, thermoreception, body temperature set-points, and cardiovascular control of heating and cooling in reptiles. The aim of this review is to place physiological thermoregulation of reptiles in a wider phylogenetic context. Future research on reptilian thermoregulation should focus on the pathways that connect peripheral sensing to central processing which will ultimately lead to the thermoregulatory response.

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Abbreviations

TRP:

Transient receptor potential

NO:

Nitric oxide

NOS:

Nitric oxide synthase

COX:

Cyclooxygenase enzyme

CPT:

8-Cyclopentyltheophylline

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery grant to F.S. and C.E.F.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrative Physiology, School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Frank Seebacher

  2. School of Integrative Biology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Craig E. Franklin

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  1. Frank Seebacher
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Correspondence to Frank Seebacher.

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Communicated by I.D. Hume

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Seebacher, F., Franklin, C.E. Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation in reptiles: a review. J Comp Physiol B 175, 533–541 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-005-0007-1

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