Researchers found that hermit crabs constrained by undersized shells do not eat less to slow their growth. Instead, they increase defecation frequency, indicating a lower efficiency in converting consumed food into new tissue. This shifts the mechanism from reduced appetite to altered internal nutrient assimilation.
The finding suggests that growth regulation can occur at the level of metabolic processing rather than just external consumption. While this does not directly explain human weight variation, it highlights that intake and tissue growth are distinct biological processes.
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