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1: Science. 2001 Sep 21;293(5538):2248-51.
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Erratum in:
  • Science 2001 Nov 16;294(5546):1463.

Comment in:
Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate.

Gillooly JF, Brown JH, West GB, Savage VM, Charnov EL.

Department of Biology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. gillooly@unm.edu

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.

Publication Types:
PMID: 11567137 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]