Abstract
All biophysical and biochemical processes in living creatures depend critically on temperature and operate optimally within a narrow temperature range. However, organisms are subject to a continuous exchange of heat energy with their environment. For instance, a living organism exposed to the Sun on a beach will be heated by energy radiated from the Sun above (radiation) and energy conducted by the sand below (conduction). Winds from the sea will also help to transfer energy because the kinetic energy of the molecules of gas or liquid in contact with the body (air, in our example) increases by heat transfer, reducing its density. The less dense region will rise, to be substituted by cooler, denser air. This creates a fluid movement called convection currents.
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Martinez, C.B., de la Peña García, E. (2013). Thermosensation. In: Galizia, C., Lledo, PM. (eds) Neurosciences - From Molecule to Behavior: a university textbook. Springer Spektrum, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10769-6_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10769-6_15
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