title: Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate.
abstract: We derive a general model, based on principles of biochemical kinetics and allometry, that characterizes the effects of temperature and body mass on metabolic rate. The model fits metabolic rates of microbes, ectotherms, endotherms (including those in hibernation), and plants in temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to 40 degrees C. Mass- and temperature-compensated resting metabolic rates of all organisms are similar: The lowest (for unicellular organisms and plants) is separated from the highest (for endothermic vertebrates) by a factor of about 20. Temperature and body size are primary determinants of biological time and ecological roles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. gillooly@unm.edu
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gillooly
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Charnov
mesh_terms: D000663:Amphibians / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D001824:Body Constitution; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D017709:Fractals; D008136:Longevity; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D012104:Reptiles / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide