PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - West, Geoffrey B. AU - Brown, James H. AU - Enquist, Brian J. TI - A General Model for the Origin of Allometric Scaling Laws in Biology AID - 10.1126/science.276.5309.122 DP - 1997 Apr 04 TA - Science PG - 122--126 VI - 276 IP - 5309 4099 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/276/5309/122.short 4100 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/276/5309/122.full SO - Science1997 Apr 04; 276 AB - Allometric scaling relations, including the 3/4 power law for metabolic rates, are characteristic of all organisms and are here derived from a general model that describes how essential materials are transported through space-filling fractal networks of branching tubes. The model assumes that the energy dissipated is minimized and that the terminal tubes do not vary with body size. It provides a complete analysis of scaling relations for mammalian circulatory systems that are in agreement with data. More generally, the model predicts structural and functional properties of vertebrate cardiovascular and respiratory systems, plant vascular systems, insect tracheal tubes, and other distribution networks.