1. Dynamic energy budget (DEB) models describe how individuals acquire and
utilize energy, and can serve as a link between different levels of biologi
cal organization.
2. We describe the formulation and testing of DEB models, and show how the
dynamics of individual organisms link to molecular processes, to population
dynamics, and (more tenuously) to ecosystem dynamics.
3. DEB models offer mechanistic explanations of body-size scaling relations
hips.
4. DEB models constitute powerful tools for applications in toxicology and
biotechnology.
5. Challenging questions arise when linking DEB models with evolutionary th
eory.