28th Annual Student Research Conference
The Allometric Scaling of Resting Metabolic Rates and Mass
Mackenzie D. Schimpf* and Joseph M. Milliano
Dr. Chad Montgomery and Dr. Phil Ryan, Faculty Mentors
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is an important component of the energy budget of all living organisms. As RMR is largely affected by body size, there has been much debate about how metabolic rate scales with animal mass. An allometric scaling law exists between metabolic rate Q and animal mass M where Q=kMb for a constant k and exponent b. There is controversy over whether a universal scaling exponent exists across all phylogenetic groups. In our experiment, we used flow-through respirometry to measure CO2 production in Diadophis punctatus, Gromphadorhina portentosa, and Mus musculus. We also combined our data with metabolic data from the literature. Our data does not support an allometric scaling relationship across groups, but does support the possibility of a universal scaling exponent within endotherms and ectotherms, respectively. This difference could be explained by the increased energetic expenditure in endotherms for producing their own body heat.
Keywords: Metabolic Power Law, scaling, respirometry, allometry, Resting Metabolic Rate, Mathematical Biology
Topic(s):Mathematical Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 112-1
Location: MG 1096
Time: 8:00