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THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF VERTEBRATES

TOPIC: Energy requirements

Table 3.1. Basal or Standard Metabolic Rates at Normal Body Temperatures and Recalculated to a Uniform Body Temperature of 38^oC

Metabolic rate in kJ^.kg ^–0.75. day^-1.  (Modified from Schmidt-Nielsen 1984).  < go to CD Chapter 3



Figure 3.1.  Relationship between mass-specific metabolic rate (ml O₂/g^.h) or metabolic intensity and log of body mass for eutherian mammals ranging from 6 g shrews to 1,300 kg elephants. Note the inverse relationship between mass-specific metabolic rate and body mass. (From Schmidt-Nielsen 1984). < go to CD Chapter 3



Figure 3.2.  Log-log relationship between metabolic requirements and body mass of unicellular organisms, poikilothermic vertebrates and homeothermic (endothermic) vertebrates. Note that slope for all three groups is close to 0.75. (From Hemmingsen 1960). < go to CD Chapter 3



Figure 3.3.  Log-log relationship between the body mass and gut capacity of mammalian herbivores (r = 0.99). The log of gut contents was equal to 0.1Mg ^1.04. Regression equation for all herbivores is log y = 1.032 log x - 0.936 and, when calculated separately, there was no significant difference between the slopes for the ruminants and nonruminants. (From Demment and Van Soest 1985).  < go to CD Chapter 3



Figure 3.4.  Log-log relationships between the minimal metabolic requirements/gut capacity and the body mass of herbivorous lizards and mammals. (Adapted from data of Withers 1992, and Demment and Van Soest 1985).  < go to CD Chapter 3

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