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Size and shape in biology.

T McMahon

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |March 23, 1973
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Living organisms

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    Area of Science:

    • Allometry and biological scaling laws.
    • Comparative physiology and biomechanics.

    Background:

    • Conventional models of organismal form often rely on yield strength.
    • Previous theories proposed metabolic rate correlates with total body surface area.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To derive biological scaling laws from principles of elastic stability and flexure.
    • To provide a theoretical basis for observed relationships between body size and metabolic rate, such as Kleiber's law.

    Main Methods:

    • Developed a model based on elastic stability and flexure, not yield strength.
    • Derived relationships between somatic dimensions, energy metabolism, and body weight.
    • Predicted biological frequencies and body surface area correlations with body weight.

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    Main Results:

    • Organismal lengths scale with diameter to the (2/3) power, fitting animal and tree dimensions.
    • Energy metabolism scales with body cross-sectional area, not total surface area.
    • Derived Kleiber's law (metabolism ~ body weight^(3/4)) and predicted other scaling relationships.

    Conclusions:

    • The proposed model successfully explains biological scaling laws based on physical principles.
    • This framework offers a theoretical foundation for understanding metabolic rate and form across diverse organisms.
    • The model's predictions align with existing empirical data, supporting its validity.