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Science 31 October 2008:
Vol. 322. no. 5902, pp. 736 - 739
DOI: 10.1126/science.1162302
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Reports

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.

1 Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA.
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

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Comment on "Energy Uptake and Allocation During Ontogeny".
A. M. Makarieva, V. G. Gorshkov, and B.-L. Li (2009)
Science 325, 1206
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Comment on "Energy Uptake and Allocation During Ontogeny".
T. Sousa, G. M. Marques, and T. Domingos (2009)
Science 325, 1206
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Response to Comments on "Energy Uptake and Allocation During Ontogeny".
W. Zuo, M. E. Moses, C. Hou, W. H. Woodruff, G. B. West, and J. H. Brown (2009)
Science 325, 1206
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)