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Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

Metabolic Rate and Various Types

The total amount of energy used by the animal at a time interval is called its metabolic rate. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of energy expenditure by the body during complete physical, mental, and digestive rest (Anthanont et al. 2017). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the rate of energy expenditure to perform all vital chemical reactions of the body at rest (McClune et al. 2015).

BMR Versus RMR

BMR differs from the RMR in the fact that BMR is measured under stringent conditions. The RMR is less accurate than the BMR but is used owing to the convenience of measurement. Mitchell defined BMR as the “basal metabolism of an animal is the minimal rate of energy expenditure compatible with life” (Mitchell 1964). The word “basal” in basal metabolic rate refers to the absence of physiological and pathological conditions like exercise, stress, disease, etc.

Standard Metabolic Rate

BMR is applicable only for homeothermic animals that can maintain stable...

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References

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Correspondence to Karthikeyan Pethusamy .

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Pethusamy, K., Gupta, A., Yadav, R. (2019). Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1429-1

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