Energy Uptake and Allocation During Ontogeny
Chen Hou,1*
Wenyun Zuo,2
Melanie E. Moses,3
William H. Woodruff,1,4
James H. Brown,1,2
Geoffrey B. West1,4
All organisms face the problem of how to fuel ontogenetic growth.
We present a model, empirically grounded in data from birds
and mammals, that correctly predicts how growing animals allocate
food energy between synthesis of new biomass and maintenance
of existing biomass. Previous energy budget models have typically
had their bases in rates of either food consumption or metabolic
energy expenditure. Our model provides a framework that reconciles
these two approaches and highlights the fundamental principles
that determine rates of food assimilation and rates of energy
allocation to maintenance, biosynthesis, activity, and storage.
The model predicts that growth and assimilation rates for all
animals should cluster closely around two universal curves.
Data for mammals and birds of diverse body sizes and taxa support
these predictions.
2 Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
3 Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
4 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: houc{at}santafe.edu
