The relationship between specific dynamic action (SDA) and growth in the common starfish, Asterias rubens L.

After feeding the metabolic rate of animals rapidly increases to a peak level and thereafter slowly declines to pre-feeding level. This phenomenon has been termed the specific dynamic action of food. The processes causing the increase in metabolism are uncertain. In Asterias rubens there was a close relationship between the magnitude of SDA and growth rate (coefficient of determination=r 2=0.85), suggesting that the increased metabolic expenditure following feeding represent the energetic cost of growth.