Lesson Plan: Metabolic Rate and Climate Change

Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.

Step 1:  Introduce the topic with a reading

1. Introduce the topic of metabolism and metabolic rate using the reading ‘Metabolic rate’ by Khan Academy.
2. Discuss the various factors that influence the metabolic rate in animals.
3. Use the text to describe endotherms and ectotherms.
4. Explain how endotherms and ectotherms are affected by the ambient temperature of their surroundings
5. Use this reading to define basal metabolic rate (BMR) in living organisms and how it affects energy expenditure by them.

Go to the Reading

Step 2 : Discuss the impact of climate change on metabolic rate

Use the reading, ‘Global metabolic impacts of recent climate change’ by Dillon et al, October 2010, Nature 467(7316):704-6, to explain to your students how tropical ectotherms that constitute a large percentage of Earth’s biodiversity, could be more severely affected by rising temperatures due to climate change.

Go to the Reading

Step 3: Play a video

1. Play the video, ‘When ice melts, polar bear use 5x more energy to swim instead of walk’ by Blaine Griffen, Brigham Young University, to explain the possible influence of climate change- melting ice caps due to rising temperatures- on the metabolic rate of the polar bear leading to higher energy expenditure and resultant body weight loss.
2. Use this video to explain how this effect on metabolism lowers the reproductive rates and affects the survival of the species.

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Step 4: Conduct a classroom/laboratory activity

1. Use this laboratory activity, ‘Animal Metabolism’ by Saddleback College, California, to enable students to test the effect of varying temperatures on the metabolic rates of an endotherm (mouse/rat) and an ectotherm (goldfish).
2. Firstly, use the information given in the worksheets to explain to the students the thermoneutral zone (TNZ), lower critical temperature (LCT) and upper critical temperature (UCT) for all organisms.
3. Explain why it differs for different types of organisms.
4. Use the worksheet instructions to explain the different ways in which the metabolic rates for these organisms is determined and to set up the experiments.
5. Instruct the students to make graphs of the results and to compare the changes in metabolic rates of the organisms in response to changing temperature.
6. Discuss the results of these experiments in the context of global temperature rise due to climate change.

Go to the Activity

Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:

1. What is metabolism?
2. What are the factors that influence the metabolic rate of an organism?
3. How does the metabolism of organisms respond to climate change?
4. Discuss the impact of increasing global temperatures on metabolic rate.
5. Climate change could exert negative effects on reproduction in Ectotherms. Explain.

The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:

1. 1. define metabolism and metabolic rate of living organisms.
   2. list the various factors that influence metabolic rate.
   3. understand what ectotherms and endotherms are.
   4. describe thermoregulation in animals.
   5. discuss the possible effects of increased temperature due to climate change on ectotherms and endotherms.