Data from: Ontogenetic and interspecific scaling of consumption in insects

The uptake of resources from the environment is a basic feature of all life. Consumption rate has been found to scale with body size with an exponent close to unity across diverse organisms. However, past analyses have ignored the important distinction between ontogenetic and interspecific size comparisons. Using principles of dynamic energy budget theory, we present a mechanistic model for the body mass scaling of consumption, which separates interspecific size effects from ontogenetic size effects. Our model predicts uptake to scale with surface-area (mass2/3) during ontogenetic growth but more quickly (between mass3/4 and mass1) for interspecific comparisons. Available data for 41 insect species on consumption and assimilation during ontogeny provides strong empirical support for our theoretical predictions. Specifically, consumption rate scaled interspecifically with an exponent close to unity (0.89) but during ontogenetic growth scaled more slowly with an exponent of 0.70. Assimilation rate (consumption minus defecation) through ontogeny scaled more slowly than consumption due to a decrease in assimilation efficiency as insects grow. Our results highlight how body size imposes different constraints on metabolism depending on whether the size comparison is ontogenetic or inter-specific.从环境中摄取资源是所有生命的基本特征。在各类生物类群中，生物体的摄食率（consumption rate）随体型大小呈现缩放关系，其缩放指数接近1。然而，过往的分析往往忽略了个体发育（ontogenetic）与种间（interspecific）体型对比之间的关键差异。基于动态能量收支理论（Dynamic Energy Budget Theory）的原理，我们构建了一个关于摄食率体重缩放的机理模型，该模型可将种间体型效应与个体发育体型效应加以区分。我们的模型预测：在个体发育过程中，资源摄取率随表面积（即质量的2/3次方）进行缩放；而在种间对比中，资源摄取率的缩放速度更快，其指数介于质量的3/4次方与1次方之间。针对41种昆虫个体发育过程中摄食与同化情况的现有数据集，为我们的理论预测提供了强有力的实证支持。具体而言，种间尺度下的摄食率缩放指数接近1（0.89），而个体发育过程中的摄食率缩放则更为缓慢，其指数为0.70。随着昆虫的生长，同化效率（assimilation efficiency）逐渐降低，因此个体发育过程中的同化率（摄食率减去排粪量）的缩放速度慢于摄食率。我们的研究结果凸显了体型对代谢的约束机制会因体型对比的类型而异：究竟是基于个体发育的体型对比，还是种间体型对比。