This course provides a framework for modelling metabolism at the organism level, covering the full life-cycle, using the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) Theory which is applicable to all species. It quantifies, step by step, all the important metabolic processes such as ingestion, assimilation, growth, maintenance, development and reproduction.
With DEB theory, the metabolism of individuals of different species, can be modelled taking into account food, temperature and other environmental variables such as toxics, hypoxia, salinity, etc. DEB models are powerful tools to predict the impact of climate change, the impacts of a toxic spill, the environmental conditions that optimize aquaculture or agriculture products, among others.
Main Goals
At the end of the course the students will be able to:
- Describe the organization of metabolism;
- Quantify metabolic rates such as growth and assimilation as a function of temperature and amount of food;
- Discuss important concepts for metabolic organization such as weak and strong homeostasis;
- Predict the impact of the area-volume relationship on metabolism;
- Explain general empirical patterns such as Kleiber's law and Von Bertallanfy growth;
- Make mass, energy and entropy balances for organisms;
- Model the metabolism of an organism through its life cycle.
Contents
Week 1 (The basics) - The general principles of Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory. Basic concepts of dynamic systems and modelling. The state variables of DEB model and the strong and weak homeostasis.
Weeks 2 & 3 (Metabolic Processes)- Metabolism: the importance of shape and size. Quantitative and qualitative description of metabolic processes: assimilation, mobilization, growth, maintenance, development and reproduction.
Week 4 (Thermodynamics of Life) - Metabolism: the effect of temperature. Aggregated macro-chemical reactions. Mass, energy and entropy balances in organisms.
