Energetics is considered a fundamental 'currency' of ecology and the way that metabolic rate (MR)-the rate of energy expenditure on biological processes-scales relative to the size of the organism can be both an adaptive benefit and a constraint in mediating the energetic demands of ecological processes. Since few investigations have examined this relationship for angiosperm seeds, we measured standard metabolic rate (SMR) of 108 species' seeds, spanning a broad suite of species. We used fluorescence-based closed-system respirometry at temperatures between 18°C and 30°C, based on optimal germination conditions, and Q