A “Badgering” Question: How Do Animal’s Surface Area to Volume Ratio Affect Ability to Thermoregulate?

Abstract

We are investigating how the surface area to volume ratio affects the core temperature. Specifically, we are trying to find out how the surface area to volume ratio affects organisms living in various climates. Many other forms of thermoregulation have been investigated, such as amount of fat, and fur, but the surface area to volume ratio needs further research. We tackled this question by creating models of varying surface area to volume ratios, and subjected them to different temperatures, or climates, to observe the rate of change for the different surface area to volume ratios. We ran two different experiments, one in a hot condition, and one in a cold condition, to cover different conditions. The results of this experiment will show how, if at all, how the surface area to volume ratio, affects the thermoregulation of an organism.