The enzymic reactions of ectothermic (cold-blooded) species differ from those of avian and mammalian species in terms of the magnitudes of the three thermodynamic activation parameters, the free energy of activation (DeltaG()), the enthalpy of activation (DeltaH()), and the entropy of activation (DeltaS()). Ectothermic enzymes are more efficient than the homologous enzymes of birds and mammals in reducing the DeltaG() "energy barrier" to a chemical reaction. Moreover, the relative importance of the enthalpic and entropic contributions to DeltaG() differs between these two broad classes of organisms.