Ectothermy

Ectothermy is a temperature-regulation strategy in which body temperature depends largely on heat exchange with the environment. Ectotherms often regulate temperature through behavior rather than sustained internal heat production.

Thermoregulation: The processes by which organisms regulate body temperature. Ectothermy is one strategy for managing body temperature.
Metabolic rate: The rate at which an organism uses energy through metabolism. Ectotherms' metabolic rates generally vary strongly with body temperature.
Endothermy: A strategy in which metabolic heat contributes substantially to body temperature regulation. Endotherms rely more on internally generated heat than ectotherms do.
Thermal performance curve: A curve relating an organism's performance to its body temperature. It shows how ectotherm activity and function rise and fall across temperatures.
Reptile: A vertebrate in the groups including turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. Most living reptiles rely substantially on environmental heat.
Behavioral thermoregulation: The use of actions or habitat choices to maintain a favorable body temperature. Basking, shade seeking, and burrowing let ectotherms alter heat exchange.
Heat capacity: The heat required to raise a substance's temperature by a given amount. It helps determine how quickly an ectotherm's body warms or cools.
Poikilothermy: A pattern in which body temperature varies considerably over time or across conditions. It describes temperature variability, not the source of body heat.
Critical thermal maximum: The upper temperature at which an organism can no longer maintain normal function. It helps quantify heat limits in ectothermic animals.
Amphibian: An ectothermic vertebrate in the group including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians. Amphibians commonly combine environmental temperature dependence with moist-skin physiology.

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