Tissue respiration and relative growth of parts of body of a marine teleost, porgy Pagrus major, during early life stages with special reference to the metabolism-size relationship

Abstract 1. 1. Tissue respiration and mass of head, trunk, fins and viscera were examined in Pagrus major of 0.0002–8.2 g. 2. 2. In postlarvae (0.0002–0.021 g), rate of tissue respiration (Q o 2 ) and relative mass of these parts to body mass were almost constant independent of body mass. 3. 3. In juveniles and adolescents (0.039–8.2 g), Q o 2 decreased in the head and trunk while relative mass increased in the trunk and decreased in the head with growth. 4. 4. These results explain the metabolism-size relationship in early stages and support our hypothesis on this relationship.