Journal article
Nutritional constraints in terrestrial and freshwater food webs
Nature (London), v 408(6812), pp 578-580
30 Nov 2000
PMID: 11117743
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Biological and environmental contrasts between aquatic and terrestrial
systems have hindered analyses of community and ecosystem structure across
Earth's diverse habitats. Ecological stoichiometry provides
an integrative approach for such analyses, as all organisms are composed of
the same major elements (C, N, P) whose balance affects production, nutrient
cycling, and food-web dynamics. Here we show both similarities
and differences in the C:N:P ratios of primary producers (autotrophs) and
invertebrate primary consumers (herbivores) across habitats. Terrestrial food
webs are built on an extremely nutrient-poor autotroph base with C:P and C:N
ratios higher than in lake particulate matter, although the N:P ratios are
nearly identical. Terrestrial herbivores (insects) and their freshwater counterparts
(zooplankton) are nutrient-rich and indistinguishable in C:N:P stoichiometry.
In both lakes and terrestrial systems, herbivores should have low growth efficiencies
(10-30%) when consuming autotrophs with typical carbon-to-nutrient ratios.
These stoichiometric constraints on herbivore growth appear to be qualitatively
similar and widespread in both environments.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Nutritional constraints in terrestrial and freshwater food webs
- Creators
- Dean R Dobberfuhl - Department of Biology, Arizona State University St Johns River Water Management DistrictSusan S Kilham - School of Environmental Science, Engineering, and Policy, Drexel UniversityEdward McCauley - Ecology Division, Department of Biological Sciences, University of CalgaryJames J Elser - Department of Biology, Arizona State UniversityRobert W Sterner - Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of MinnesotaEvan H Siemann - Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice UniversityAyoola Folarin - Department of Biology, Arizona State UniversityAndrea Huberty - Department of Entomology, University of MarylandRobert F Denno - Department of Entomology, University of MarylandWilliam F Fagan - Department of Biology, Arizona State UniversityKimberly L Schulz - Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New YorkSebastian Interlandi - School of Environmental Science, Engineering, and Policy, Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Nature (London), v 408(6812), pp 578-580
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000165548600116
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-0034735764
- Other Identifier
- 991014878110704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology