Thermoregulation and Surface Area to Volume Ratio in Animals

Abstract

In our experiment, we wanted to find out whether surface area to volume ratio affects the ability of animals to live in certain climates. We hypothesize that the animals are larger in cooler climates typically due to the fact that they have smaller surface area to volume ratios than smaller animals. Through the experimental process we used clay, which represented animals, in various sizes and ice to measure the rate of change in temperature. We observed that there is indeed a correlation between animals’ surface area to volume ratio and what climate they inhabit, which is that animals with smaller surface area to volume ratio loses heat at a slower rate than animals with higher surface area to volume ratio. By conducting this research, we established a clearer connection between surface area to volume ratio and thermoregulation.