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A Word on Winter Living Strategies

Words, Words and More Words

What is the difference?
When talking about winter adaptations, there are many words used about what is happening to different plants and animals. Torpor, hibernation, brumation, diapause, migration, dormancy. Have you ever heard these words? Have you thought aren’t they interchangeable? They refer to different classes or groups of animals (and plants) and how they deal with the cold. Let’s explore each one. 

Hibernation

In mammals, this is a long deep sleep that is largely unresponsive to external stimuli, last several weeks to months, relies on fat reserve that must be built up in the fall, very few mammals are true hibernators. Visit this page for more information concerning hibernation.

Torpor

In mammals, short-term way to conserve energy and appears to be involuntary based on conditions, the mammal wakes up to eat and drink, responds to external stimuli and wakes up easily, last from a few hours to days or weeks.

Brumation

In amphibians and reptiles, triggered by cold weather, environment cools body creating sluggishness and inactivity, can come in and out of slumber.

Diapause

Mainly in invertebrates (insects, spiders), a pausing in development of the stages of an animal to adverse environmental conditions, different species pause different stages, i.e. egg, larva, adult; some produce biochemicals like glycerol, a type of anti-freeze, that keep them from freezing.  

Migration

Mainly in birds, some mammals, and a few insects, this is a seasonal movement of an animal from one region to another, because they are missing something in the habitat that they need, can be long or short distances. Visit this page for more information concerning migration.

Dormancy

This generally refers to plants reducing or inhibiting their growth some like deciduous tree create a chemical or stress hormone (abscisic acid) to conserve energy in lower temperatures, working like an anti-freeze, others like pines slow their growth down or stop all together until temperatures are favorable.