Effects of Size and Temperature on Metabolic Rate
James F. Gillooly,1*
James H. Brown,12
Geoffrey B. West,23
Van M. Savage,23
Eric L. Charnov1
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° to 40°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.
1 Department of Biology, The University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
2 Santa Fe
Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA.
3 Theoretical Division, MS B285, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
gillooly{at}unm.edu
