Freezing Temperature Essay

Varying environmental climates require organisms to develop defense mechanisms to survive. For conditions under freezing temperatures, each animal has a response. If an animal is unprepared for the extreme situation, the formation of ice leads to a destruction of tissues and most organisms are unable to tolerate even frostbite; which make animals adapt to stay warm and out of the cold. Biochemical studies have examined why amphibians can tolerate freezing temperatures. Many amphibians, though have learned to adapt specifically to these extreme cold environments. The adaptation is freeze tolerance, and many amphibians have undergone this adaptation to protect themselves from the harsh temperatures
Freeze tolerance is the ability to regulate and endure the formation of ice in extracellular compartments while preserving the liquid state of the cytoplasm (Costanzo, Amaral, Rosendale, and Lee, 2013). Freeze tolerance has problems and challenges the amphibians have to overcome to be able to use it. The most difficult problem is the formation of ice and the challenges that …show more content…
Under normal circumstances, thawing of ice inside the body causes many repercussions. Since ice is denser than water, it takes up more space inside the body, which can puncture membranes. The use of the cryoprotectants helps keep the repercussions down to a minimum. It begins with the central organs (Layne & Jones, 2001). High glucose in these areas is responsible for the thawing in this area first (Layne & Jones, 2001). Thawing from the inside out has many benefits. It allows for the central organs of the body, such as the heart and lungs, to recover first (Storey & Storey, 1996). Thus, allowing for the quick action of the circulatory and respiratory systems to continue the rest of the thawing process. Blood flow to the tissue happens next, then breathing, and the eventual recovery of muscles (Storey & Storey,