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Stoichiometric relationships among producers, consumers and nutrient cycling in pelagic ecosystems

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Abstract

Most ecosystem models consolidate members of food-webs, e.g. species, into a small number of functional components. Each of these is then described by a single state variable such as biomass. When a multivariate approach incorporating multiple substances within components is substituted for this univariate one, a ‘stoichiometric’ model is formed. Here we show that the Nitrogen:Phosphorus ratio within zooplankton herbivores varies substantially intraspecifically but not intraspecifically. By using stoichiometric theory and recent measurements of the N:P ratio within different zooplankton taxa, we calculate large differences in ratios of nutrients recycled by different zooplankton species. Finally, we demonstrate that N:P stoichiometry can successfully account for shifts in N- and P-limitation previously observed in whole-lake experiments. Species stoichiometry merges food-web dynamics with biogeochemical cycles to yield new insights.

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Abbreviations

b :

N:P in zooplankton biomass

f :

N:P in algal biomass

L :

maximum accumulation eficiency

N:P:

ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus (moles:moles)

s :

N:P supply ratio from grazers

TN:

Total nitrogen = seston N + dissolved N (µmoles/liter)

TP:

Total phosphorus = seston P + dissolved P (µmoles/liter)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Robert W. Sterner

  2. Department of Zoology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    James J. Elser

  3. Norwegian Institute for Water Research, P.O. Box 69 Korsvall, N-0808, Oslo 8, Norway

    Dag O. Hessen

Authors
  1. Robert W. Sterner
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  2. James J. Elser
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  3. Dag O. Hessen
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Sterner, R.W., Elser, J.J. & Hessen, D.O. Stoichiometric relationships among producers, consumers and nutrient cycling in pelagic ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 17, 49–67 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002759

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002759

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