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Surviving the winter
Surviving the winter

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1.4.5 Summary of Section 1.4

  1. Deciduous trees avoid the problems of winter by shedding their leaves.

  2. Plants can store nutrients over winter in a variety of structures.

  3. Amphibians have evolved behavioural responses (e.g. burying themselves) and physiological responses (e.g. different types of antifreeze in the body fluids) to winter.

  4. Hibernation occurs only in certain small mammal species and one species of bird and is accompanied by marked physiological and behavioural changes.

  5. Prior to hibernation, animals build up their fat reserves and frequently possess larger amounts of brown adipose tissue than non-hibernators.

  6. There may be a trade-off between hibernation and dispersal in some animals.