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Stoichiometric implications of a biphasic life cycle

  • Ecosystem ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Animals mediate flows of elements and energy in ecosystems through processes such as nutrient sequestration in body tissues, and mineralization through excretion. For taxa with biphasic life cycles, the dramatic shifts in anatomy and physiology that occur during ontogeny are expected to be accompanied by changes in body and excreta stoichiometry, but remain little-explored, especially in vertebrates. Here we tested stoichiometric hypotheses related to the bodies and excreta of the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) across life stages and during larval development. Per-capita rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion varied widely during larval ontogeny, followed unimodal patterns, and peaked midway through development (Taylor–Kollros stages XV and XII, respectively). Larval mass did not increase steadily during development but peaked at stage XVII and declined until the termination of the experiment at stage XXII. Mass-specific N and P excretion rates of the larvae decreased exponentially during development. When coupled with population-biomass estimates, population-level excretion rates were greatest at stages VIII–X. Percent carbon (C), N, and C:N of body tissue showed weak trends across major life stages; body P and C:P, however, increased sixfold during development from egg to adult. Our results demonstrate that intraspecific ontogenic changes in nutrient contents of excretion and body tissues can be significant, and that N and P are not always excreted proportionally throughout life cycles. These results highlight the dynamic roles that species play in ecosystems, and how the morphological and physiological changes that accompany ontogeny can influence ecosystem-level processes.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an Oakland University (OU) Faculty Research Fellowship Award given to S.T. and an OU Provost Award given to D.C. The Department of Entomology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation supported S.T. during manuscript revisions. We thank Ben Chartwell at Lake Superior State University for performing chemical analyses of larval excreta and body composition, and Dave Costello for reviewing an earlier draft of this manuscript. We also thank the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment for access to field sites. All applicable institutional and/or national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author contribution statement

SDT, KAB, and KAC conceived and designed the experiments; DJC, KAB, and KAC performed the experiments. SDT and KAC analyzed the data. SDT wrote the manuscript. KAC, KAB, and DJC provided editorial advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309-4401, USA

    Scott D. Tiegs, Keith A. Berven & Douglas J. Carmack

  2. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Krista A. Capps

  3. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA

    Krista A. Capps

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  1. Scott D. Tiegs
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  2. Keith A. Berven
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Correspondence to Scott D. Tiegs.

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Communicated by Robert O. Hall.

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Tiegs, S.D., Berven, K.A., Carmack, D.J. et al. Stoichiometric implications of a biphasic life cycle. Oecologia 180, 853–863 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3504-2

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