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NCEAS
NCEAS Project 12064
Towards a new metabolic theory of ecology
- Atkinson, David
| Activity | Dates | Further Information |
|---|---|---|
| Sabbatical | 1st October 2007—30th June 2008 | Participant List |
Abstract
The hugely influential Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) has been called ?ecology?s big hot idea?. It is based on how body size and temperature set the pace of life, hence determine the speed and duration of many biological and ecological processes. However, substantial and systematic deviations from the predictions of the MTE have prompted me to develop an alternative theory, and construct databases with data from diverse organisms ranging from microbes to mammals, to test my predictions and those of the MTE. Over a period of 9 months working and interacting with colleagues at NCEAS, I would use these databases to test assumptions and predictions of metabolic theories of ecology, including: (i) how body or key organ surface areas affect the size-scaling of oxygen consumption; (ii) how adaptation
affects the response of the rate of increase of populations to temperature; and (iii) how ecosystem photosynthesis/respiration balance is affected by temperature.
