ENERGETICS | Physiological Functions that Scale to Body Mass in Fish

Abstract

Scaling is the study of how body size influences biological traits. In fish, the effects of body size are enormous because the largest adult fish (Rhincodon, 22 tonnes) is around 10 billion times larger than the smallest (Paedocypris, 3mg). Traits that increase in direct proportion to body mass are said to scale isometrically (e.g., skeletal mass), whereas those that do not are said to scale allometrically (e.g., metabolic rate). Here, we examine the scaling of a range of physiological and morphological traits in fish, both during development and between species that differ in size.