Endothermy alters the energetic relationships between organisms and their environment and thereby influences fundamental niches. Endothermy is closely tied to energy metabolism. Regulation of energy balance is indispensable for all life and regulatory pathways increase in complexity from bacteria to vertebrates. Increasing complexity of metabolic networks also increase the probability for endothermic phenotypes to appear. Adaptive arguments are problematic epistemologically because the regulatory mechanisms enabling endothermy have not evolved for the 'purpose' of endothermy and the utility of current traits is likely to have changed over evolutionary time. It is most parsimonious to view endothermy as the evolutionary by-product of energy balance regulation rather than as an adaptation and interpret its evolution in the context of metabolic networks.

中文翻译：

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吸热是进化的副产品吗？

吸热改变了生物与其环境之间的能量关系，从而影响了基本生态位。吸热与能量代谢密切相关。能量平衡的调节对于所有生命都是必不可少的，并且调节途径从细菌到脊椎动物的复杂性增加。代谢网络复杂性的增加也增加了吸热表型出现的可能性。适应性论点在认识论上是有问题的，因为使吸热成为可能的调控机制并未针对吸热的“目的”发展，而当前性状的效用可能会随着进化的时间而改变。