Mammalian basal metabolic rate is proportional to body mass2/3

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Abstract
The relationship between mammalian basal metabolic rate (BMR, ml of O2per h) and body mass (M, g) has been the subject of regular investigation for over a century. Typically, the relationship is expressed as an allometric equation of the form BMR =aMb. The scaling exponent (b) is a point of contention throughout this body of literature, within which arguments for and against geometric (b= 2/3) and quarter-power (b= 3/4) scaling are made and rebutted. Recently, interest in the topic has been revived by published explanations for quarter-power scaling based on fractal nutrient supply networks and four-dimensional biology. Here, a new analysis of the allometry of mammalian BMR that accounts for variation associated with body temperature, digestive state, and phylogeny finds no support for a metabolic scaling exponent of 3/4. Data encompassing five orders of magnitude variation inMand featuring 619 species from 19 mammalian orders show that BMR ∝M2/3.