Abstract
where M is the metabolism, W the body weight, the exponent a is the slope of the line on a log-log plot, and b is the intercept indicating the value of M when W = 1. Brody (1945) concluded that the metabolism of mature homeotherms, as measured by the oxygen consumption, tended to vary with the 0.73 power of the body weight, while Kleiber (1947) advocated the 0.75 rule. Benedict (1938), in his classical work, considered metabolism to be directly proportional to the surface area of the body, i.e., M = bW1.66. However, the value of a for Benedict's data was 0.73 when certain atypical species were omitted (Brody, 1945). This generalized formula of Brody giving an exponent of 0.73 was concerned with increase in metabolism with phylogenetic increase in size of mature homeothermic species. With the exception of small metazoans, such as the eggs and larvae of marine organisms, the same interspecific generalizations seem applicable to the poikilotherms (Zeuthen, 1953). Comparison of the increases in metabolism with ontogenetic increases in size of organisms do not show quite the same consistency. Zeuthen (1953) recognized a triphasic curve for oxygen consumption during the development of several poi-
Published Version
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