A new mechanistic model for individual growth applied to insects under ad libitum conditions.

ABSTRACT: Metabolic theories in ecology interpret ecological patterns at different levels through the lens of metabolism, typically applying allometric power scaling laws to describe rates of energy use. This requires a sound theory for metabolism at the individual level. Commonly used mechanistic growth models lack some potentially important aspects and fail to accurately capture a growth pattern often observed in insects. Recently, a new model (MGM-the Maintenance-Growth Model) was developed for ontogenetic and post-mature growth, based on an energy balance that expresses growth as the net result of assimilation and metabolic costs for maintenance and feeding. The most important contributions of MGM are: 1) the division of maintenance costs into a non-negotiable and a negotiable part, potentially

SUBMITTER: Mauritsson K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11373858 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature