Many forms of life go into a state of dormancy to survive the cold, snowy winters of the Rocky Mountains. Do you know what these different types of dormancy are for different animals, such as torpor, hibernation, and diapause?
Ever since I was a kid I remember learning how bears go into hibernation during winter. I know that basically hibernation means that they are in a deep sleep all winter. I have also heard about other forms of life surviving winter by entering a state of diapause or torpor. Before I did some research on it I had no idea what those were and how they are different than hibernation. Well, here is a quick explanation of what those all mean and what forms of life do each.
Winer Survival Strategies
Animals, including mammals, choose one of many different strategies to survive winter. The three main winter survival strategies are adaptation, hibernation, or migration. Hibernation is one of the forms of dormancy.
What Is Dormancy?
It is a period in an organism’s life cycle when growth, and development is temporarily stopped. This can be something that is done for a short or a long period of time. It is something that can be done on a seasonal basis or just for a night.
It is important to understand the there are different degrees or levels of dormancy. The different type of dormancy is basically based on how deep of a sleep the organism is going into.
All of the following terms are different kinds of dormancy undertaken by different kinds of life.
Deciduous trees enter a state of dormancy during winter in the Rocky Mountains.
Dormancy For Plants And Trees
Many, but not all, plants and trees go dormant during winter. This means they stop all growth and development. Many plants lose their leaves (if a deciduous tree/plant) during this time. They do this because the temperatures are too cold and there is not enough water for them to survive. Then in the spring when conditions are more favorable they begin growing again.
Raccoons and other small mammals go into torpor at night, but are active during the day during winter.
Torpor
Torpor is a short term reduction in body temperature, metabolism, and breathing. It is usually done by small animals and lasts for less than 24 hours.
This is sometimes undertaken by birds to survive cold nights. They lower their body temperatures at night and then increase them during the day again. For example, a black capped chickadee will do this and so do hummingbirds.
Chipmunks are one of the few animals that are true hibernators.
Hibernation
Hibernation is a survival strategy, mainly used by mammals, to survive the cold, snowy winters when there is a lack of food available. In true hibernation the animal does not wake up at all until spring time and is in a deep sleep – thus, extreme dormancy. During hibernation an animal has a lower heart rate and body temperature. For more about hibernation read this old post.
Brumation
It is a way for reptiles to survive a cold winter. Reptiles are a cold-blooded animal (ectothermic) so they get their body temperature from the external environment. This means when it is freezing outside they can’t maintain a high enough body temperature to survive, so they enter brumation.
This is a good example of dormancy that is done by reptiles. It is similar to hibernation in mammals.
Some wasps, like this yellow jacket enter diapause – a form of dormancy.
Diapause
It is a form of dormancy when a animal, most usually bugs, take a break from developing due to bad external conditions (such as freezing cold). In other words, it is as if the animal simply takes a break until the conditions outside are more favorable.
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