A model of optimal control of ventilation recently developed for humans has suggested that the localization of the transition between a convective and a diffusive transport of the respiratory gas determines how ventilation should be controlled to minimize its energetic cost at any metabolic regime. We generalized this model to any mammal, based on the core morphometric characteristics shared by all mammals' lungs and on their allometric scaling from the literature. Since the main energetic costs of ventilation are related to the convective transport, we prove that, for all mammals, the localization of the shift from a convective transport into a diffusive transport plays a critical role on keeping that cost low while fulfilling the lung function. Our model predicts for the first time where this transition zone should occur in order to minimize the energetic cost of ventilation, depending on the mammals' mass and on the metabolic regime. From that optimal localization, we are able to derive predicted allometric scaling laws for both tidal volumes and breathing rates, at any metabolic regime. We ran our model for the three common metabolic rates -- basal, field and maximal -- and showed that our predictions accurately reproduce the experimental data available in the literature. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the mammals' allometric scaling laws of tidal volumes and breathing rates at a given metabolic rate are driven by a few core geometrical characteristics shared by the mammals' lungs and  the physical processes of the respiratory gas transport.
A model of optimal control of ventilation has recently been developed for humans . This model suggests that the localization of the transition between a convective and a diffusive transport of the respiratory gas determines how ventilation should be controlled to minimize its energetic cost at any metabolic regime. We generalized this model to any mammal, based on the core morphometric characteristics shared by all mammals' lungs and on their allometric scaling from the literature. Since the main energetic costs of ventilation are related to the convective transport, we prove that, for all mammals, the localization of the shift from a convective transport into a diffusive transport plays a critical role on keeping that cost low while fulfilling the lung function. Our model predicts for the first time the localization of the transition in order to minimize the energetic cost of ventilation, depending on the mammals' mass and on the metabolic regime. From that optimal localization, we are able to predict allometric scaling laws for both tidal volumes and breathing rates, at any metabolic regime. We ran our model for the three common metabolic rates -- basal, field and maximal -- and showed that our predictions reproduce accurately the experimental data available in the literature. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the mammals' allometric scaling laws of tidal volumes and breathing rates at a given metabolic rate are driven by a few core geometrical characteristics shared by the mammals' lungs and by the physical processes of the respiratory gas transport.
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recently
has recently been
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has suggested
. This model suggests
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where this transition zone should occur
the localization of the transition
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derive predicted
predict
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accurately reproduce
reproduce accurately
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by