The Use of Brown Fat to Generate Metabolic Heat Is

question 29

Multiple Choice

The use of brown fat to generate metabolic heat is mostly limited to small mammals. Which characteristic of small mammals created the selective pressure that favored the use of brown fat to generate metabolic heat?

• A) Small mammals cannot grow enough fur to insulate their bodies.
• B) Small mammals have a large surface area to volume ratio, which allows rapid heat loss.
• C) Small mammals do not have enough muscle to generate heat by shivering.
• D) Small mammals have lost their brown fat through the course of their evolution.

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Definitions:

Polarity

A property of molecules with distinct oppositely charged ends, resulting from an uneven distribution of electrons.

Solvents

Substances that dissolve a solute, resulting in a solution; usually liquid but can be gas or solid.

Polarity

A characteristic of molecules with uneven distribution of charges, resulting in regions of partial positive and negative charges.

Polar

A molecule with uneven distribution of charges, leading to positive and negative ends, affecting solubility and melting/boiling points.