Light and nutrient supply mediate intraspecific variation in the nutrient stoichiometry of juvenile fish

Downs, Kelsea N.; Hayes, Nicole M.; Rock, Amber M.; Vanni, Michael J.; González, María J.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.1452

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Genotype-specific effects common in ionomic studies discussed above are similar to discoveries about intraspecific variation in biomass C:N:P stoichiometries (e.g., Bertram et al, 2008; Goos et al, 2014; Downs et al, 2016) which are shaped by selection (e.g., El-Sabaawi et al, 2012; Tobler et al, 2016), and generate discernable patterns at higher levels of organization (e.g., Elser et al, 2000). While genetic recombination can produce endless varieties of biota, organismal evolution is bounded by principles of physics and chemistry (Williams and Frausto da Silva, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Ecological Stoichiometry beyond Redfield: An Ionomic Perspective on Elemental Homeostasis

et al. 2017

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Elemental homeostasis has been largely characterized using three important elements that were part of the Redfield ratio (i.e., carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus). These efforts have revealed substantial diversity in homeostasis among taxonomic groups and even within populations. Understanding the evolutionary basis, and ecological consequences of such diversity is a central challenge. Here, we propose that a more complete understanding of homeostasis necessitates the consideration of other elements beyond C, N, and P. Specifically, we posit that physiological complexity underlying maintenance of elemental homeostasis along a single elemental axis impacts processing of other elements, thus altering elemental homeostasis along other axes. Indeed, transcriptomic studies in a wide variety of organisms have found that individuals differentially express significant proportions of the genome in response to variability in supply stoichiometry in order to maintain varying levels of homeostasis. We review the literature from the emergent field of ionomics that has established the consequences of such physiological trade-offs on the content of the entire suite of elements in an individual. Further, we present experimental data on bacteria exhibiting divergent phosphorus homeostasis phenotypes demonstrating the fundamental interconnectedness among elemental quotas. These observations suggest that physiological adjustments can lead to unexpected patterns in biomass stoichiometry, such as correlated changes among suites of non-limiting microelements in response to limitation by macroelements. Including the entire suite of elements that comprise biomass will foster improved quantitative understanding of the links between chemical cycles and the physiology of organisms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Ecological Stoichiometry beyond Redfield: An Ionomic Perspective on Elemental Homeostasis

et al. 2017

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“…Considering the importance of Sterner's (1990) model in making our predictions, it is worth considering how our application of the model may have influenced our conclusions. This model assumes a fixed consumer body stoichiometry, which is not realistic for many fishes (Benstead et al 2014, Downs et al 2016, Dalton et al 2017. In our application of the model, we incorporated variation in the stoichiometry of newly assimilated tissues in the L parameter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Downs et al. ). If P assimilation efficiency is reduced at higher consumption and growth rates, then this effect itself could drive variation in nutrient recycling N:P ratio by fishes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in growth and metabolic rates, which require differing ratios of nutrients and energy, can lead to compensatory feeding to meet varying nutrient intake targets (Sperfeld et al 2017). However, more rapidly growing fish also exhibit elevated C:P and N:P ratios of mass gain, suggesting that they are less efficient at retaining dietary P (Azevedo et al 1998, Downs et al 2016). If P assimilation efficiency is reduced at higher consumption and growth rates, then this effect itself could drive variation in nutrient recycling N:P ratio by fishes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consumption explains intraspecific variation in nutrient recycling stoichiometry in a desert fish

Moody

Carson

Corman

et al. 2018

Ecology

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Consumer-driven nutrient recycling can have substantial effects on primary production and patterns of nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems by altering the rates as well as the relative supplies of the key nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). While variation in nutrient recycling stoichiometry has been well-studied among species, the mechanisms that explain intraspecific variation in recycling N:P are not well-understood. We examined the relative importance of potential drivers of variation in nutrient recycling by the fish Gambusia marshi among aquatic habitats in the Cuatro Ciénegas basin of Coahuila, Mexico. There, G. marshi inhabits warm thermal springs with high predation pressure as well as cooler, surface runoff-fed systems with low predation pressure. We hypothesized that variation in food consumption among these habitats would drive intraspecific differences in excretion rates and N:P ratios. Stoichiometric models predicted that temperature alone should not cause substantial variation in excretion N:P, but that further reducing consumption rates should substantially increase excretion N:P. We performed temperature and diet ration manipulation experiments in the laboratory and found strong support for model predictions. We then tested these predictions in the field by measuring nutrient recycling rates and ratios as well as body stoichiometry of fish from nine sites that vary in temperature and predation pressure. Fish from warm, high-predation sites excreted nutrients at a lower N:P ratio than fish from cool, low-predation sites, consistent with the hypothesis that reduced consumption under reduced predation pressure had stronger consequences for P retention and excretion among populations than did variation in body stoichiometry. These results highlight the utility of stoichiometric models for predicting variation in consumer-driven nutrient recycling within a phenotypically variable species.

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“…Importantly, the predicted stoichiometric relationships between food, body and waste N:P might be impacted by several mitigating factors. These include the degree to which animals maintain homeostasis, which is variable and perhaps related to growth rate (Hood and Sterner, 2010;Downs et al, 2016), and which mechanisms they use to regulate this homeostasis (i.e., pre-or post-ingestive). Furthermore, the type of waste product (excretion or egestion; Halvorson et al, 2015) and the relationship between body size and body N:P are important mitigating factors, which should be taken into account and discussed below.…”

Section: Applying Rule 1 To Terrestrial Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Stoichiometry of Nutrient Release by Terrestrial Herbivores and Its Ecosystem Consequences

et al. 2017

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It is widely recognized that the release of nutrients by herbivores via their waste products strongly impacts nutrient availability for autotrophs. The ratios of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) recycled through herbivore release (i.e., waste N:P) are mainly determined by the stoichiometric composition of the herbivore's food (food N:P) and its body nutrient content (body N:P). Waste N:P can in turn impact autotroph nutrient limitation and productivity. Herbivore-driven nutrient recycling based on stoichiometric principles is dominated by theoretical and experimental research in freshwater systems, in particular interactions between algae and invertebrate herbivores. In terrestrial ecosystems, the impact of herbivores on nutrient cycling and availability is often limited to studying carbon (C):N and C:P ratios, while the role of terrestrial herbivores in mediating N:P ratios is also likely to influence herbivore-driven nutrient recycling. In this review, we use rules and predictions on the stoichiometry of nutrient release originating from algal-based aquatic systems to identify the factors that determine the stoichiometry of nutrient release by herbivores. We then explore how these rules can be used to understand the stoichiometry of nutrient release by terrestrial herbivores, ranging from invertebrates to mammals, and its impact on plant nutrient limitation and productivity. Future studies should focus on measuring both N and P when investigating herbivore-driven nutrient recycling in terrestrial ecosystems, while also taking the form of waste product (urine or feces) and other pathways by which herbivores change nutrients into account, to be able to quantify the impact of waste stoichiometry on plant communities.

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Light and nutrient supply mediate intraspecific variation in the nutrient stoichiometry of juvenile fish

Cited by 10 publications

References 62 publications

Ecological Stoichiometry beyond Redfield: An Ionomic Perspective on Elemental Homeostasis

Ecological Stoichiometry beyond Redfield: An Ionomic Perspective on Elemental Homeostasis

Consumption explains intraspecific variation in nutrient recycling stoichiometry in a desert fish

The Stoichiometry of Nutrient Release by Terrestrial Herbivores and Its Ecosystem Consequences

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