Report to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

A biological model is presented for determining effects of an environmetal variable on a physiological variable. The effect of an environmental variable, temperature, on a physiological variable, oxygen consumption, was studied. (HLW) Measurements were made on oxygen consumption of mice following exposure to different temperatures. A graph is presented to show results. A model was developed to show: thermal regulation; ratio of change in heat production to change in body temperature; thermal capacity of the body; heat transfer coefficient of the fur; and volume of oxygen required to produce a unit of heat by metabolism. The relevance of the results to ecosystems is discussed.