
動物の体重と成長率の減少に伴い、蛋白質摂取量も減少する。一方、炭水化物摂取量は変化しない。この関係は動物全般に当てはまる。


coremsg

Organisms require dietary macronutrients in specific ratios to maximize performance, and variation in macronutrient requirements plays a central role in niche determination. Although it is well-recognized that development and body size can have strong and predictable effects on many aspects of organismal function, we lack a predictive understanding of ontogenetic or scaling effects on macronutrient intake. We determined protein and carbohydrate intake throughout development on lab populations of locusts and tested whether lab responses can predict results for field populations. Self-selected protein:carbohydrate targets declined dramatically through ontogeny, due primarily to declines in mass-specific protein consumption rates which were highly correlated with declines in specific growth rates. Importantly, lab results for protein consumption rates predicted results for field-collected locusts. However, field locusts consumed nearly double the carbohydrate, likely due to higher activity and metabolic rates. Combining our results with the available data for animals, both across species and during ontogeny, protein consumption scaled predictably and hypometrically, demonstrating a new scaling rule key for understanding nutritional ecology.

### Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

動物の体重と成長率は動物の蛋白質摂取量を予測する