Study
Avoidance and tolerance of freezing in ectothermic vertebrates
Costanzo, Jon P.; Lee, Richard E.
Journal of Experimental Biology, 2013
Compares the two strategies directly in amphibians and reptiles, examining which species use which, how the choice relates to their overwintering habitat, and where the two strategies overlap within a single species.
- Studied in
- Amphibia, Reptilia
- Sample size
- review across ectothermic vertebrates
Avoidance and tolerance are alternative solutions with different failure modes, and the strategy a species uses tracks where it overwinters rather than how cold it gets. Some species use both at different times.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
The two strategies should be treated as distinct adaptive syndromes rather than as points on a continuum of cold-hardiness.
How NatureHQ reads it
The record NatureHQ leans on for the central cold distinction. It is also the source of a useful corrective: which strategy an animal uses is predicted by where it spends the winter, not by how cold the winter is.
- Ectothermic vertebrates only; the insect literature is larger and is treated separately.
- Field verification of overwintering strategy is difficult, so several assignments rest on laboratory work.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: The Company of BiologistsPublished by The Company of Biologists.
Checked against Crossref on 2026-09-28, and they agree on the title, the authors and the year.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-09-03.