User:Presleygilbert/Eurasian tree sparrow

Article body
Eurasian tree sparrows exhibit various physiological adaptations due to seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod. When exposed to shorter photoperiods and colder temperatures during winter seasons, and with temperature having the greatest effect, Eurasian tree sparrows exhibited increased body mass, increased BMR, and increased enzyme and hormone activity (Li et al. 2020). Increasing body mass allows these birds to store more energy while their increasing basal metabolic rate is due to a higher amount of energy needed to maintain their body temperature in colder conditions. Another study found that Eurasian tree sparrows also exhibit higher levels of thyroid hormone T3 levels in the winter, which is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s use of energy. The birds’ increased T3 levels can be correlated with their increased basal metabolic rate as T3 can help play an important role in the regulation of heat production (Zheng et al. 2014)