The Ecological Implications of Body SizeIt is generally recognized that larger animals eat more, live longer, have larger offspring, and so on; but it is unusual to see these commonplace observations as a basis for scientific biology. A large number of empirically based relationships describe biological rates as simple functions of body size; and other such relations predict the intrinsic rate of population growth, animal speed, animal density, territory size, prey size, physiology, and morphology. Such equations almost always exist for mammals and birds, often for other vertebrates and invertebrates, sometimes for protozoa, algae, and bacteria, and occasionally even for plants. There are too many organisms to measure all aspects of the biology of every species of population, so scientists must depend on generalizations. Body size relations represent our most extensive and powerful assemblage of generalizations, but they have never been organized for use in ecology. This book represents the largest single compilation of interspecific size relations, and instructs the reader on the use of these relationships; their comparison, combination, and criticism. Both strengths and weaknesses of our current knowledge are discussed in order to indicate the many possible directions for further research. This important volume will therefore provide a point of departure toward a new applied ecology, giving quantitative solutions to real questions. It will interest advanced students of ecology and comparative physiology as well as professional biologists. |
Contents
A philosophical introduction | 1 |
Daily sleep and body size in herbivorous mammals | 2 |
Scientific crisis in ecology | 8 |
A mathematical primer Logarithms power curves and correlations | 10 |
Regression analysis | 15 |
Metabolism | 24 |
Respiration | 25 |
Interpretations and implications | 39 |
Production Growth and reproduction | 118 |
Population production | 133 |
An individual production term for the balanced growth equation | 139 |
Mass flow | 147 |
The autecology of material flows | 148 |
Nutrients and nutrient turnover | 158 |
Animal abundance | 164 |
The numerical density of individual species | 165 |
Physiological correlates of size | 45 |
Mammalian models of respiratory and circulatory physiology | 48 |
Temperature and metabolic rate | 54 |
A regression model | 55 |
The estimation of body temperature | 56 |
The effects of ambient temperature | 57 |
Other factors and other processes | 76 |
Locomotion | 79 |
Speeds of locomotion | 86 |
Transport costs | 90 |
Moving metabolic rates | 95 |
Ingestion | 100 |
Some basic properties | 101 |
Other factors | 106 |
Prey size | 108 |
Home range area | 170 |
Community size structure | 173 |
Other allometric relations | 184 |
Ecological economics | 187 |
Evolution | 192 |
Allometric simulation models | 197 |
The basic model | 198 |
Explanations | 213 |
Some allometric explanations | 215 |
Prospectus | 227 |
Appendixes | 231 |
| 5 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ambient temperature animals Appendix Aquatic average balanced growth equation Banse basal metabolic rate Biochemistry and Physiology biological biomass birds Blueweiss Body mass kg body size relations body temperature Brody calculated Calder carnivores curves density detritivores Ecology ecosystem effect eggs energy estimates excretion exponent Farlow Figure fish Fisheries flux growth rate Günther herbivores home range homeotherms increase Independent variable Independent variable Range individual ingestion rate insects Intercept invertebrates Journal Kendeigh Konoplev large species larger Lasiewski logarithmic mammalian Mammals Marsupials maximum Maximum life span Nonpasserines nutrient organisms Passerines Peters & Wassenberg phytoplankton plankton poikilotherms population population density predator predictions prey production relationship reptiles respiration Respiration Physiology Ricklefs scaling similar slope small species specific dynamic action speed Stahl standard metabolic rate Standardized relation suggest swimming Table Taxon Taxon Independent variable terrestrial theory tion transport costs trends unicells values velocity Wassenberg unpubl Watt C-1 zooplankton