The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling
Various phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These “biological scaling” relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible caus...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/8/1084 |
| _version_ | 1797435976765669376 |
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| author | Douglas S. Glazier |
| author_facet | Douglas S. Glazier |
| author_sort | Douglas S. Glazier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Various phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These “biological scaling” relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible causes of the body-mass scaling of the rates/durations of various biological processes and life-history events, i.e., the “pace of life”. Many biologists have regarded the rate of metabolism or energy use as the master driver of the “pace of life” and its scaling with body size. Although this “energy perspective” has provided valuable insight, here I argue that a “time perspective” may be equally or even more important. I evaluate various major ways that time may be relevant in biological scaling, including as (1) an independent “fourth dimension” in biological dimensional analyses, (2) a universal “biological clock” that synchronizes various biological rates/durations, (3) a scaling method that uses various biological time periods (allochrony) as scaling metrics, rather than various measures of physical size (allometry), as traditionally performed, (4) an ultimate body-size-related constraint on the rates/timing of biological processes/events that is set by the inevitability of death, and (5) a geological “deep time” approach for viewing the evolution of biological scaling patterns. Although previously proposed universal four-dimensional space-time and “biological clock” views of biological scaling are problematic, novel approaches using allochronic analyses and time perspectives based on size-related rates of individual mortality and species origination/extinction may provide new valuable insights. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:56:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-292316e51cbb403e9cc0cb568bfcb618 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:56:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-292316e51cbb403e9cc0cb568bfcb6182023-12-01T01:38:42ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372023-08-01128108410.3390/biology12081084The Relevance of Time in Biological ScalingDouglas S. Glazier0Department of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA 16652, USAVarious phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These “biological scaling” relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible causes of the body-mass scaling of the rates/durations of various biological processes and life-history events, i.e., the “pace of life”. Many biologists have regarded the rate of metabolism or energy use as the master driver of the “pace of life” and its scaling with body size. Although this “energy perspective” has provided valuable insight, here I argue that a “time perspective” may be equally or even more important. I evaluate various major ways that time may be relevant in biological scaling, including as (1) an independent “fourth dimension” in biological dimensional analyses, (2) a universal “biological clock” that synchronizes various biological rates/durations, (3) a scaling method that uses various biological time periods (allochrony) as scaling metrics, rather than various measures of physical size (allometry), as traditionally performed, (4) an ultimate body-size-related constraint on the rates/timing of biological processes/events that is set by the inevitability of death, and (5) a geological “deep time” approach for viewing the evolution of biological scaling patterns. Although previously proposed universal four-dimensional space-time and “biological clock” views of biological scaling are problematic, novel approaches using allochronic analyses and time perspectives based on size-related rates of individual mortality and species origination/extinction may provide new valuable insights.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/8/1084scaling with size (allometry) and time (allochrony)biological rates and durationsphysical dimensions of space and timelife historiesmortalityevolution |
| spellingShingle | Douglas S. Glazier The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling Biology scaling with size (allometry) and time (allochrony) biological rates and durations physical dimensions of space and time life histories mortality evolution |
| title | The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling |
| title_full | The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling |
| title_fullStr | The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling |
| title_short | The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling |
| title_sort | relevance of time in biological scaling |
| topic | scaling with size (allometry) and time (allochrony) biological rates and durations physical dimensions of space and time life histories mortality evolution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/8/1084 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT douglassglazier therelevanceoftimeinbiologicalscaling AT douglassglazier relevanceoftimeinbiologicalscaling |