A manipulative test of competing theories for metabolic scaling

White, Craig R., Kearney, Michael R., Matthews, Philip G. D., Kooijman, Sebastiaan A. L. M. and Marshall, Dustin J. (2011) A manipulative test of competing theories for metabolic scaling. American Naturalist, 178 6: 746-754.


Author White, Craig R.
Kearney, Michael R.
Matthews, Philip G. D.
Kooijman, Sebastiaan A. L. M.
Marshall, Dustin J.
Title A manipulative test of competing theories for metabolic scaling
Journal name American Naturalist  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A*)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2011-12
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1086/662666
Volume number 178
Issue number 6
ISSN 0003-0147; 1537-5323
Start page 746
End page 754
Total pages 9
Place of publication Chicago, IL, United States
Publisher University of Chicago Press
Collection year 2012
Language eng
Formatted abstract The reasons why metabolic rate (B) scales allometrically with body mass (M) remain hotly debated. The field is dominated by correlational analyses of the relationship between B and M; these struggle to disentangle competing explanations because both B and M are confounded with ontogeny, life history, and ecology. Here, we overcome these problems by using an experimental approach to test among competing metabolic theories. We examined the scaling of B in size-manipulated and intact colonies of a bryozoan and show that B scales with M0.5. To explain this, we apply a general model based on the dynamic energy budget theory for metabolic organization that predicts B on the basis of energy allocation to assimilation, maintenance, growth, and maturation. Uniquely, this model predicts the absolute value of B, emphasizes that there is no single scaling exponent of B, and demonstrates that a single model can explain the variation in B seen in nature.
Keyword Allometry
Metabolic rate
Dynamic energy budget
Metabolic theory of ecology
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code
Institutional Status UQ

Document type: Journal Article
Sub-type: Article
Collections: Official 2012 Collection
School of Biological Sciences Publications
 
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