Fig. 6: Independent thermodynamic forces control the dissipative cost and the efficiency of growth.
From: Thermodynamic dissipation constrains metabolic versatility of unicellular growth
a The total free energy dissipation can be decomposed in a sum of independent terms, each corresponding to the product of an independent flux with a generalized thermodynamic force. Schematic shows the dominant ones. b The electron donor force, red, for each type is plotted against the biomass yield, \(\bar{y}\), showing a strong correlation. In a transparent shade, the dissipation \(\bar{\sigma }\) is plotted against the yield, as in Fig. 3b. The proximity between both shades shows that red is a good predictor for \(\bar{\sigma }\). c The biomass force, rb, for each type is plotted against the coefficient β. Both terms are essentially equal (dashed line is not a fit). A clear distinction exists between aerobic and anaerobic types, with outlier anaerobes located between them. d The thermodynamic efficiency of growth for all data is shown. Aerobic metabolisms are singled out by their high thermodynamic efficiency. Inset shows a pictorial definition of the efficiency as a ratio of the dissipative terms corresponding to anabolism and catabolism. The box plots are defined as in Fig. 2a. The boxes from left to right describe n = 71, 85, 109, 239 data points, respectively.
