Metabolic theory of ecology
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Researchers at the Santa Fe Institute, including ecologist James Brown and physicist Geoffrey West, helped to develop the metabolic theory of ecology. This theory predicts a relationship between
- metabolic rate and
- the body size and temperature of animals, plants, and microbes.
One of the implications of the theory is that even a modest rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans might increase the rate of metabolism of affected organisms. It may also reduce population densities. The reason for this is that if metabolic rate increases, resource consumption might rise, as well. When consumption of a finite set of resources in an environment—in this case, planet Earth—rises, that environment becomes less capable of supporting the same population densities.
In addition, the metabolic theory of ecology makes another implication, one that may be of interest to the human species. When Earth becomes warmer, pathogens and parasites on the planet may evolve and reproduce more rapidly, making it more difficult for humans and other animals to remain free of disease.
References
- Brown, J. & West, G. (1 May 2004). One rate to rule them all. New Scientist, 182, 39.