Abstract
In this paper it is presented a gentle review of empirical and theoretical advances in understanding the role of size in biological organisms. More specifically, it deals with how the energy demand, expressed by the metabolic rate, changes according to the mass of an organism. Empirical evidence suggests a power-law relation between mass and metabolic rate, namely the allometric equation. For vascular organisms, the exponent β of this power-law is smaller than one, which implies scaling economy; that is, the greater the organism is, the lesser energy per cell it demands. However, the numerical value of this exponent is a theme of extensive debate and a central issue in comparative physiology. A historical perspective is shown, beginning with the first empirical insights in the sec. 19 about scaling properties in biology, passing through the two more important theories that explain the scaling properties quantitatively. Firstly, the Rubner model considers organism surface area and heat dissipation to derive β=2/3. Secondly, the West-Brown-Enquist theory explains such scaling properties due to the hierarchical and fractal nutrient distribution network, deriving β=3/4.
Highlights
When we hold a small hamster in our hands, we can feel its fast heartbeat, with approximately 450 beats per minute
The metabolic rate is the mean value of energy per unit of time used by an organism to perform its vital functions
We have presented a historical perspective, passing through some data that suggest a power-law behaviour between metabolic rate and mass
Summary
When we hold a small hamster in our hands, we can feel its fast heartbeat, with approximately 450 beats per minute (bpm). The metabolic rate is the mean value of energy per unit of time used by an organism to perform its vital functions. The state of the art on this topic is still quite controversial, with no consensus at all It is because the empirical results for the values of the scaling exponent vary substantially in different types of organisms and at various taxonomic levels In the section (2), some empirical evidence from the literature is presented, showing that the empirical value of the scaling exponent varies substantially in different types of organisms.
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