FmrBT: A comprehensive data set of field metabolic rates, body mass and ambient temperature

Abstract

Understanding the energetics of animals in their natural environments is critical for ecological research, conservation, and modeling of population dynamics. I present a comprehensive dataset of field metabolic rates (FMR) of animals, body mass and ambient temperature, encompassing data from a wide range of species and ecosystems. The dataset is a compilation of FMR measurements reported in the scientific literature on more than 700 species, and offers a valuable resource for researchers in ecology, conservation biology, and evolution. By including body mass and temperature, it allows: 1) use it in large-scale analyses of allometric models of body mass, and 2) incorporate explicitly the effects of temperature, making it a useful tool for comparative studies, ecological modeling, and conservation assessments, particularly regarding the effects of climate change.