Difference between Hibernation and Diapause
Diapause | Hibernation | |
Definition | A state of stopped development known as diapause happens in reaction to unfavorable environmental factors including low temperatures, a lack of food, or drought. Insects, some fish, and invertebrates frequently exhibit it. | Hibernation, a period of decreased metabolic activity, enables animals to save energy throughout the winter when food is in short supply. Typically, mammals like bears, squirrels, and bats exhibit it. |
Purpose | Diapause allows an animal to save energy and resources because the metabolic activity is drastically lowered. Once the habitat is better, the animal goes into a dormant stage that might last for months or even years. | The animal’s metabolism slows down and its body temperature decreases dramatically during hibernation. As a result, the animal can minimize its energy needs and go without food for a long period of time. |
Timing | Contrary to hibernation, diapause can start at any stage of life—from the egg to the adult—and can be brought on by a number of environmental stimuli. | Changes in day length and temperature, which warn an animal that winter is near, are frequently the cause of hibernation. |
Metabolic Activity | The animal’s body temperature and metabolic rate remain constant during diapause. Instead, it goes into a state of suspended development that enables it to withstand challenging circumstances. | The animal’s body temperature can drop to 0°C while it is hibernating, and its breathing and heart rate both dramatically slow down. |
Medical changes | Changes in gene expression, hormone levels, and physiological processes all occur during the carefully controlled process of menopause. | A highly specialized form of dormancy known as hibernation includes adaptations like greater fat storage, a decreased heart rate, and the capacity to recycle waste. |
Habitat | Species that live in habitats with extreme seasonality, like the Arctic tundra or the desert, frequently adopt diapause as a survival tactic. | Many animals that dwell in temperate or arctic climates, where winters can be long and harsh, rely heavily on hibernation as a means of survival. |
Organisms | Animals are not the only species that may go through diapause; some plants and even microbes can do so in order to endure poor environmental conditions. | Torpor, a brief period of decreased metabolic activity experienced by some animals throughout the day or night, is not the same as hibernation. While hibernation can endure for several months, torpor can last for several hours. |
Both hibernation and diapause are adaptations that help animals endure harsh environmental conditions.
Difference Between Diapause and Hibernation
Diapause and hibernation are two different ways in which animals cope with harsh environmental conditions. Despite both involving a decrease in metabolic rate, they vary in terms of duration, purpose, and the stimuli that trigger them.