Circulation,metabolic rate,and body size in mammals

Summary This paper attempts to explain Kleiber's rule, which relates metabolic rate of mammals to their body mass, from the structure and function of the blood circulation system.Abbreviations a scaling factor - fractal dimension - hydrodynamic conductivity - l_n length of an arterial blood vessel at bifurcation level n - M body mass - N maximal number of bifurcation levels - p pressure - Q flow - r size of Bohr effect - r_n radius of an arterial blood vessel at bifurcation level n - V volume - VO₂ rate of oxygen unloading - Z_n number of arterial blood vessels at bifurcation level n