Carbon cycle in the earth system is the research focus in the field of global climate change cause,trend forecasting, mitigation and adaptation countermeasure,while the mechanisms of carbon cycle is frontier issues in global change ecology. Metabolic theory of ecology ( MTE ) , which developed on the basis of the relationship between metabolic rate and body size, temperature, provides a framework for linking the biology of individual organisms to the ecology of populations, communities and ecosystems,driving an innovation for exploring global biogeochemical cycles. In this paper, we review the development history of MTE, the theoretical basis, and the application of MTE at different levels, for example, from molecular level to ecosystem level. Furthermore, we focus on the development and application of MTE in the carbon cycle of oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems. On that basis, the prospect of MTE to promote the development of global biogeochemical cycles is discussed. Eventually, metabolic theory may provide a conceptual foundation for the study of energy and material fluxes through ecosystems.