Tissue Metabolism in Growing Birds. ∗

Abstract

Conclusions

1. Tissue respiration studies show that oxygen consumption rate of mature chicken liver slices fits body weight-tissue metabolic rate relationship derived by Kleiber (5) for mature mammals. The oxygen consumption rate of mature chicken kidney slices, however, is much lower than that of mature mammals(7). 2. The relationship between tissue and whole animal metabolic rate in growing chickens is different for the kidney and liver. The Qo₂ of kidney tissue (homogenate or slice) is essentially the same for all age groups of birds tested. The Qo₂ of liver tissue in vitro is the same for very young and mature birds, but is significantly higher in one-month-old birds. This same sequence has been noted by Kleiber(2) in the whole animal metabolic rate (per unit weight) of growing birds.