Differentiating causality and correlation in allometric scaling: ant colony size drives metabolic hypometry.

ABSTRACT: Metabolic rates of individual animals and social insect colonies generally scale hypometrically, with mass-specific metabolic rates decreasing with increasing size. Although this allometry has wide ranging effects on social behaviour, ecology and evolution, its causes remain controversial. Because it is difficult to experimentally manipulate body size of organisms, most studies of metabolic scaling depend on correlative data, limiting their ability to determine causation. To overcome this limitation, we experimentally reduced the size of harvester ant colonies (Pogonomyrmex californicus) and quantified the consequent increase in mass-specific metabolic rates. Our results clearly demonstrate a causal relationship between colony size and hypometric changes in metabolic rate that could not be

SUBMITTER: Waters JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5326530 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature