In vertebrate animals, brown fat tissue's colour is due to abundant blood vessels and capillaries. White fat tissue, on the other hand, is specialized for fat storage and contains relatively few blood vessels or capillaries. Brown fat cells have a specialized protein that dissipates the proton-motive force across the mitochondrial membranes. Which of the following might be the function of the brown fat tissue?
A)to increase the rate of oxidative phosphorylation from its few mitochondria
B)to allow the animals to regulate their metabolic rate when it is especially hot
C)to increase the production of ATP
D)to allow other membranes of the cell to perform mitochondrial functions
E)to regulate temperature by converting most of the energy from NADH oxidation to heat

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Brown fat tissue is specialized for thermogenesis, or the production of heat. The specialized protein in brown fat cells dissipates the proton-motive force across the mitochondrial membranes, which results in the generation of heat instead of ATP. This allows the body to regulate its temperature by converting energy from NADH oxidation into heat instead of using it to produce ATP. Choice A, B, C, and D are incorrect as they do not accurately describe the function of brown fat tissue.

In Vertebrate Animals, Brown Fat Tissue's Colour Is Due to Abundant