Question

I was reading a book "Biology and evolution of Crocodilians" by Gordon Grigg and David Kirshner. And I can't understand the part about metabolic scaling no matter which method I tried I can't get the same result as the one in the book.

(Box 1.2 and Box 7.1) Box 1.2
It is about Lolong immobilization and dosage which has example of 0.5mg for 40kg Croc scaling to 2.4mg for 1075kg Lolong instead of 13mg, however no matter which method I tried I could not get the same number. (exponent for crocodilians is 0.829)
When I tried
(0.5/(40^0.829))×(1075^0.829) for Box 1.2 I got 7.65420145365 instead of 2.4 For Box 7.1
It gave example of 0.1kg to 10 kg mammal oxygen consumption scaling from 116ml/h in 0.1kg animals to 3483 in 10kg animals (as oppose to 11600 ml/h.) (exponent for mammals here use 0.738) I tried (116/(0.1^0.738))×(10^0.738)
Which get 3471.02697847
Instead of 3483. I have no background in science at all so it is likely I am doing something wrong.

Answer 1

Metabolic scaling in biology refers to the relationship between an organism's metabolic rate and its body mass. The scaling exponent varies depending on the species and specific metabolic process. In the given examples, the correct calculations can be achieved using the provided formulas and exponents.

Step-by-step explanation:

Metabolic scaling in biology refers to the relationship between an organism's metabolic rate and its body mass. The scaling exponent, which determines the relationship, is not a fixed value and can vary depending on the species and the specific metabolic process being studied. In the first example you mentioned from the book, the exponent for crocodilians is 0.829. To calculate the dosage for a 1075kg crocodile based on a 0.5mg dose for a 40kg crocodile, you would use the formula: (0.5/(40^0.829))×(1075^0.829), which should give you the correct answer.

In the second example, the exponent for mammals is listed as 0.738. To calculate the oxygen consumption scaling from 0.1kg to 10kg mammals based on a 116ml/h consumption in a 0.1kg animal, you would use the formula: (116/(0.1^0.738))×(10^0.738), which should give you the correct answer. It's important to note that these exponents are specific to the organisms being studied and may not apply to other species or situations.