A Note on Metabolic Rate Dependence on Body Size in Plants and Animals

Makarieva, Anastassia M.; Gorshkov, V. G.; Li, Bai-Lian

doi:10.1006/jtbi.2003.3185

Cited by 59 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This interpretation nicely fits into the framework of the MLB hypothesis, and is consistent with the observation that b in the largest mammals appears to approach 1 (Makarieva et al 2003;Painter 2005a). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Effects of metabolic level on the body size scaling of metabolic rate in birds and mammals

2008

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Metabolic rate is traditionally assumed to scale with body mass to the 3/4-power, but significant deviations from the '3/4-power law' have been observed for several different taxa of animals and plants, and for different physiological states. The recently proposed 'metabolic-level boundaries hypothesis' represents one of the attempts to explain this variation. It predicts that the power (log-log slope) of metabolic scaling relationships should vary between 2/3 and 1, in a systematic way with metabolic level. Here, this hypothesis is tested using data from birds and mammals. As predicted, in both of these independently evolved endothermic taxa, the scaling slope approaches 1 at the lowest and highest metabolic levels (as observed during torpor and strenuous exercise, respectively), whereas it is near 2/3 at intermediate resting and coldinduced metabolic levels. Remarkably, both taxa show similar, approximately U-shaped relationships between the scaling slope and the metabolic (activity) level. These predictable patterns strongly support the view that variation of the scaling slope is not merely noise obscuring the signal of a universal scaling law, but rather is the result of multiple physical constraints whose relative influence depends on the metabolic state of the organisms being analysed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Effects of metabolic level on the body size scaling of metabolic rate in birds and mammals

2008

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“…This suggests that the upper limit to body size within taxa can be set by a critical temperature-independent minimum of mass-specific metabolic rate q min , which prohibits attaining larger size at lower ambient temperatures (Singer et al 1993;Seebacher et al 1999;Makarieva et al 2003).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Singer et al (1993) suggested that the maximum body size in mammals is prescribed by this minimum value: as far as mass-specific metabolic rate decreases with growing body size, no further growth of body size is expected when this critical value is reached. Makarieva et al (2003) proposed that the maximum amount of metabolically active biomass of plants attainable at a given ambient temperature and solar irradiance is similarly dictated by a minimum temperature-independent mass-specific metabolic rate q min compatible with viability of living tissues. In this paper we report evidence which further supports the idea that the upper limit to body size within each taxon can be set by a temperature-independent critical minimum value of mass-specific metabolic rate q min , a fall below which is not compatible with successful biological performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gigantism, temperature and metabolic rate in terrestrial poikilotherms

Makarieva

Gorshkov

2005

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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The mechanisms dictating upper limits to animal body size are not well understood. We have analysed body length data for the largest representatives of 24 taxa of terrestrial poikilotherms from tropical, temperate and polar environments. We find that poikilothermic giants on land become two-three times shorter per each 10 degrees of decrease in ambient temperature. We quantify that this diminution of maximum body size accurately compensates the drop of metabolic rate dictated by lower temperature. This supports the idea that the upper limit to body size within each taxon can be set by a temperatureindependent critical minimum value of mass-specific metabolic rate, a fall below which is not compatible with successful biological performance.Keywords: body size; temperature; mass-specific metabolic rate; terrestrial poikilotherms; Great Britain; Wrangel Island INTRODUCTIONThe relationship between metabolic rate and body size has been predominantly studied in terms of body size as independent, and metabolic rate as dependent, variables and not vice versa, e.g. Peters (1983). However, several studies suggest that certain critical values of metabolic rate may set limits to animal body size. For example, in a study of unicells, poikilotherms and homeotherms, Robinson et al. (1983) noted the smallest representatives of each group have a nearly uniform mass-specific metabolic rate. This suggests that the smallest size within each group can be dictated by this uniform value of mass-specific metabolic rate. Geiser (1988) found that mammals hibernating at low body temperature reduce their metabolic rate down to approximately 0.1 W kg K1 irrespective of body size. Singer et al. (1993) suggested that the maximum body size in mammals is prescribed by this minimum value: as far as mass-specific metabolic rate decreases with growing body size, no further growth of body size is expected when this critical value is reached. Makarieva et al. (2003) proposed that the maximum amount of metabolically active biomass of plants attainable at a given ambient temperature and solar irradiance is similarly dictated by a minimum temperature-independent mass-specific metabolic rate q min compatible with viability of living tissues. In this paper we report evidence which further supports the idea that the upper limit to body size within each taxon can be set by a temperature-independent critical minimum value of mass-specific metabolic rate q min , a fall below which is not compatible with successful biological performance. Mass-specific metabolic rate decreases with increasing body size but, in poikilotherms, grows with ambient temperature. Compensation of the size-related

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“…Recent investigations (Dodds et al, 2001;Kozłowski and Konarzewski, 2004;Makarieva et al, 2003Makarieva et al, , 2005 highlighted some controversial aspects inherent in the distributive network models proposed by West et al (1999) and Banavar et al (1999). Such inconsistency concerned the value of the scaling exponents that the former authors calculated as multiple of 1/4 instead of the expected 1/3.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%