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Normalization constant calculation

Calculates the normalization constant for the metabolic scaling based on a known or estimated parameter value under at a reference temperature.

calculate_normalization_constant(
parameter_value,
scaling_exponent,
mass,
reference_temperature,
E = NULL,
k = 8.617333e-05,
warn_if_possibly_false_input = getOption("metaRange.verbose", default = FALSE) > 0
)
  • parameter_value: <numeric> estimated parameter value at the reference temperature.
  • scaling_exponent: <numeric> allometric scaling exponent of the mass.
  • mass: <numeric> mean (individual) mass.
  • reference_temperature: <numeric> reference temperature in kelvin (K).
  • E: <numeric> Activation energy in electronvolts (eV).
  • k: <numeric> Boltzmann’s constant (eV / K).
  • warn_if_possibly_false_input: <boolean> Print a warning if the input is different from the known literature value combinations.

Note the different scaling values for different parameter. The following is a summary from table 2 in Brown, Sibly and Kodric-Brown (2012) (see references).

ParameterScaling exponentActivation energy
resource usage3/4-0.65
reproduction, mortality-1/4-0.65
carrying capacity-3/40.65

Brown, J.H., Gillooly, J.F., Allen, A.P., Savage, V.M. and West, G.B. (2004) Toward a Metabolic Theory of Ecology. Ecology, 85 1771—1789. Brown, J.H., Sibly, R.M. and Kodric-Brown, A. (2012) Introduction: Metabolism as the Basis for a Theoretical Unification of Ecology. In Metabolic Ecology (eds R.M. Sibly, J.H. Brown and A. Kodric-Brown)

metabolic_scaling()

The calculated normalization constant.

calculate_normalization_constant(
parameter_value = 1,
scaling_exponent = -1 / 4,
mass = 1,
reference_temperature = 273.15,
E = -0.65
)