brumation
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word brumation. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word brumation, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say brumation in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word brumation you have here. The definition of the word brumation will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofbrumation, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Latin brūma (“winter solstice”) + -tiō, by analogy with hibernation.[1]
Noun
brumation (uncountable)
- (biology) A lethargic state that some ectothermic animals, such as many reptiles, assume during cold conditions. Partly analogous to hibernation, but physiological differences include that brumation does not depend on stored fat, but rather on reduced metabolic activity.
Related terms
References
- ^ Wilbur W. Mayhew (1965 September) “Hibernation in the Horned Lizard Phrynosoma m’calli”, in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, volume 16, no. 1, , page 116:
- it seems advisable to have one term to designate winter dormancy in heterotherms and another for such [in] ectotherms. Hibernation has been used to denote this condition in heterotherms particularly, so it seems best to retain this term for that group of vertebrates. Therefore, I propose the terms brumation (from bruma, L. winter) to indicate winter dormancy in ectothermic vertebrates that demonstrate physiological changes which are independent of body temperature.