Question

Can someone please explain how to calculate the average metabolic rate, standard deviation metabolic rate, mass specific metabolic rate, and Q10? I was given the initial O2 (mg/L), final O2 (mg/L), mass (g), and length (cm) of three fish at two different temperatures.

Answer 1

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest. The basal metabolic rate is different from gender to gender. So the average metabolic rate is calculated by using the formula as following:

For men, BMR= 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)

And for women, BMR= 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years).

Standard Metabolic Rate (SMR) must be calculated by extrapolating to zero from several active metabolic rates. This is beyond the scope of the lab so we have to calculate average and resting metabolic rates. Even this is difficult as it is very hard to make an animal rest so as to measure its Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).

Mass specific metabolic rate is defined as the resting energy expenditure per unit body mass per day and it is calculated as follows- Divide the mean rate in  mL min-1 of each animal by its initial body mass in mg that is mL min-1mg-1, and then multiply by 60 min hr-1 to get all rates in units of mL O2mg-1hr-1.

Q10 is the factor by which the reaction rate increases when the temperature is raised by ten degrees. Q10 is a unitless quantity. R1 is the measured reaction rate at temperature T1.  T1 is the temperature at which the reaction rate R1 is measured where T1 < T2 . It is calculated by using a formula that is R2 divided by R1 to the power of 10 divided by temperatures T2 minus T1.