The cold has the ability to negatively effects
hemostasis by restricting blood vessels and pulling the blood to the vital
organs, leaving the hands and feet cold. The homeostasis is disrupted because
it is harder for oxygenated blood to flow to certain parts of the body. The
body’s defenses are also slowed down to adjust to the cold making it perfect
for germs to flourish, leading to illness.
Short-term
adaptation
Short-term
adaptations to the cold consist of restricted blood flow to keep vital organs
warm, leaving hands and feet cold.
Facultative
Adaptation
1. Increased metabolic rate
2. Fat insulation of vital organs
3. Long term change in blood flow patterns
Developmental
Adaptations
The
adaptations seen in cold climates can be explained by Bergman’s Rule, people
tend to have large, compact bodies with relatively small surface areas from
which they can lose their internally produced heat.
Cultural
Adaptations
Many
people living in freezing climates drink alcohol to warm themselves. This
increases blood flow to the body extremities, thereby providing a feeling of
warmth. A much more effective cultural response to extremely cold
temperatures is the use of insulating clothing, houses, and fires. People
all over the world also adapt by limiting outdoor activities to warmer times of
the day. In some societies, sleeping in family groups with bodies pushed
up against each other is also done in order to minimize heat loss during the
cold months of the year.
It is important to study human variation from
environmental clines because different people and cultures arise out of the
type of climate people live in. It is a necessity to being able to
understanding different cultures as a whole. For example, if we discovered a
secret hidden society hiding out in the North Pole by studying their adaptation
to their climate and conditions we are able to possibly explain why there
society functions the way it does, or how it has survived for so long.
Since different races live in different climates we
are able to see how each functions through the means, which they are given. Because
by studying adaptations rather than race we can see how not only there body
reacts, but how the culture has adapted as a whole.
