Final answer:
The black-capped chickadee enters a state of torpor to conserve energy during cold winter nights, characterized by reduced metabolism and body temperature, which is a common strategy among animals to survive extreme temperatures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The black-capped chickadee often enters into a state of torpor during cold winter nights when the temperatures plummet below zero, thus conserving energy reserves until morning. Torpor is a condition of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Hibernation is a form of torpor over an extended period, such as winter, allowing animals like ground squirrels and bears to maintain vital functions and survive periods of extreme cold and limited food availability. While hibernation and aestivation are specialized forms of torpor suited to cold climates and hot, dry climates respectively, diapause is a type of dormancy in insects associated with a suspension of development in response to environmental conditions. The black-capped chickadee uses torpor to maintain homeostasis and survive the harsh conditions it faces in its environment.