Determinants of inter-specific variation in basal metabolic rate
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In this paper, the authors review explanations for size-related and mass-independent variation in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of animals, and suggest ways that the various explanations can be evaluated and integrated.Abstract:
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of metabolism of a resting, postabsorptive, non-reproductive, adult bird or mammal, measured during the inactive circadian phase at a thermoneutral temperature. BMR is one of the most widely measured physiological traits, and data are available for over 1,200 species. With data available for such a wide range of species, BMR is a benchmark measurement in ecological and evolutionary physiology, and is often used as a reference against which other levels of metabolism are compared. Implicit in such comparisons is the assumption that BMR is invariant for a given species and that it therefore represents a stable point of comparison. However, BMR shows substantial variation between individuals, populations and species. Investigation of the ultimate (evolutionary) explanations for these differences remains an active area of inquiry, and explanation of size-related trends remains a contentious area. Whereas explanations for the scaling of BMR are generally mechanistic and claim ties to the first principles of chemistry and physics, investigations of mass-independent variation typically take an evolutionary perspective and have demonstrated that BMR is ultimately linked with a range of extrinsic variables including diet, habitat temperature, and net primary productivity. Here we review explanations for size-related and mass-independent variation in the BMR of animals, and suggest ways that the various explanations can be evaluated and integrated.read more
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References
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Uncoupled and surviving: individual mice with high metabolism have greater mitochondrial uncoupling and live longer
John R. Speakman,John R. Speakman,Darren A. Talbot,Colin Selman,Sam Snart,Jane S. McLaren,Paula Redman,Ela Krol,Diane M Jackson,Maria S. Johnson,Martin D. Brand +10 more
TL;DR: A positive association between metabolic intensity (kJ daily food assimilation expressed as g/body mass) and lifespan, but no relationships of lifespan to body mass, fat mass or lean body mass is found.
Journal ArticleDOI
Re-examination of the "3/4-law" of metabolism.
TL;DR: Re-analyse data sets for mammals and birds compiled by Heusner, Bennett and Harvey, Bartels, Hemmingsen, Brody, and Kleiber, and find little evidence for rejecting alpha = 2/3 in favor of alpha = 3/4.
Journal ArticleDOI
Avian basal metabolic rates: their association with body composition and energy expenditure in nature
TL;DR: It is suggested that natural selection has led to an adjustment of the size of organs involved in sustaining energy metabolism at the DEE maximized during parental care and that size-independent variation in BMR reflects the relative size of this highly metabolically active machinery.
Posted Content
Re-examination of the "3/4-law" of Metabolism
TL;DR: In this paper, the scaling law of organismal metabolic rate with organismal mass was examined, and it was shown that for mammals, a possible breakdown in scaling for larger masses reflected in a systematic increase in the metabolic rate.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Influence of Food Habits on the Energetics of Eutherian Mammals
TL;DR: The level of energy expenditure in eutherian mammals is correlated with the type of food consumed, especially in medium—sized to large species; some foods permit high basal rates, while other foods require low basal rates.