Singer M A
Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Am J Kidney Dis. 2001 Jan;37(1):164-178. doi: 10.1016/s0272-6386(01)80073-1.
Allometric scaling deals with the functional consequences of changes in size or scale among geometrically dissimilar animals (ie, animals differing in proportions). For adult mammals ranging in size and proportion from mouse to elephant, the data describe an interdependent set of functions consisting of metabolism (measured as metabolic rate), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow, excretion of nitrogenous waste products, cardiac output, and pulmonary function-related variables. Within this set of functions, evidence indicates that metabolic rate is the primary process. One important design feature is given by the ratio of GFR to metabolic rate. Because this ratio is independent of size, it can be generalized to all mammals in this series. The numeric value of this ratio gives the optimal GFR for each unit of metabolic rate. A simple hypothesis is proposed: metabolic rate, the primary process, sets GFR. This relationship is unidirectional. A decrease in GFR, for example, caused by nephron loss, should not lead to a change in metabolic rate. This hypothesis was tested in four natural experiments: human growth and development, thyroid dysfunction, chronic renal failure, and hibernation. The results are consistent with this hypothesis.
异速生长比例法则研究的是几何形状不同的动物（即比例不同的动物）在大小或尺度变化时所产生的功能影响。对于从老鼠到大象等大小和比例各异的成年哺乳动物，相关数据描述了一组相互依存的功能，包括新陈代谢（以代谢率衡量）、肾小球滤过率（GFR）、有效肾血浆流量、含氮废物排泄、心输出量以及与肺功能相关的变量。在这组功能中，有证据表明代谢率是主要过程。一个重要的设计特征由GFR与代谢率的比值给出。由于这个比值与大小无关，所以可以推广到该系列中的所有哺乳动物。这个比值的数值给出了每单位代谢率的最佳GFR。提出了一个简单的假设：作为主要过程的代谢率设定了GFR。这种关系是单向的。例如，由肾单位丧失导致的GFR降低不应导致代谢率的改变。该假设在四项自然实验中得到了验证：人类生长发育、甲状腺功能障碍、慢性肾衰竭和冬眠。结果与该假设一致。
