Size vs. Heating & Cooling Dissipation: A Test of Bergmann’s Rule

Abstract

Why are animals shaped differently in different climates? Does the surface area to volume ratio contribute to heat retention? This has been adequately answered because while other scientists have gone out to conduct these experiments, we gave a more controlled environment where we could control more of the variables. To preform our experiment we made clay spheres to act as models to represent the animal in varying sizes: small, medium, and large, these spheres were heated and cooled to a set temperature; then we measured the rate at which they lost or gained heat at room temperature. The results we gathered support our hypothesis.