Factors influencing carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of fish from a Lake Superior coastal wetland

Tanner, Danny K.; Brazner, John C.; Brady, Valerie

doi:10.1139/f00-062

Cited by 59 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The estimate for [P other ] used in the model for invertebrates (x ϭ 0.6%) was taken from (12). For vertebrates, we assumed that [P other ] Ϸ [P body ] (x ϭ 2.4%) (40) because no independent estimate of [P other ] was available, and skeletal mass makes up the vast majority of P in vertebrates (1).…”

Section: [5]mentioning

confidence: 99%

The metabolic basis of whole-organism RNA and phosphorus content

Gillooly

Allen

Brown

et al. 2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

153

176

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Understanding the storage, flux, and turnover of nutrients in organisms is important for quantifying contributions of biota to biogeochemical cycles. Here we present a model that predicts the storage of phosphorus-rich RNA and whole-body phosphorus content in eukaryotes based on the mass-and temperaturedependence of ATP production in mitochondria. Data from a broad assortment of eukaryotes support the model's two main predictions. First, whole-body RNA concentration is proportional to mitochondrial density and consequently scales with body mass to the ؊1͞4 power. Second, whole-body phosphorus content declines with increasing body mass in eukaryotic unicells but approaches a relatively constant value in large multicellular animals because the fraction of phosphorus in RNA decreases relative to the fraction in other pools. Extension of the model shows that differences in the flux of RNA-associated phosphorus are due to the size dependencies of metabolic rate and RNA concentration. Thus, the model explicitly links two biological currencies at the individual level: energy in the form of ATP and materials in the form of phosphorus, both of which are critical to the functioning of ecosystems. The model provides a framework for linking attributes of individuals to the storage and flux of phosphorus in ecosystems.growth rate hypothesis ͉ metabolic theory of ecology ͉ stoichiometry ͉ allometry R ecent work in ecological stoichiometry has shown that understanding variation in the relative proportions of elements among organisms and between organisms and their environments provides useful insights into the functioning of ecological systems (1). The extent to which organisms sequester limiting nutrients may strongly influence biogeochemical cycles and thereby affect the structure and function of the plant, animal, and microbial communities that use these nutrients (1, 2). Since the pioneering work of Redfield in 1958 (3), we have learned that many plants and animals in natural conditions have an average molar ratio of carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) of Ϸ106:16:1 (1, 3). Yet the mechanisms underlying this C:N:P ratio and the reasons for the observed deviations about this ratio remain unclear. C:P ratios of organisms in nature often deviate from the Redfield ratio by severalfold and may deviate by one to two orders of magnitude when nutrient availability is experimentally manipulated, particularly in plants (1,(4)(5)(6).Special emphasis has been placed on understanding how and why P concentrations vary among organisms, partly because P is often a limiting nutrient in ecosystems and partly because P is a component of important biological molecules, including RNA, DNA, ATP, and phospholipids (1). Differences in whole-body P concentration have given rise to several hypotheses (e.g., refs. 7-9 in marine phytoplankton). Most frequently mentioned is the ''growth rate hypothesis'' of Elser et al. (10), which proposes that differences in whole-body P concentration among organisms are due to differences in concentrations ...

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Section: [5]mentioning

confidence: 99%

The metabolic basis of whole-organism RNA and phosphorus content

Gillooly

Allen

Brown

et al. 2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

153

176

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Among species, OS varies with body size, morphology, and life-history traits because these traits affect biochemical composition, which ultimately controls the elemental composition of animals (Tanner et al 2000; Sterner and Elser 2002; Gonzalez et al 2011). There can also be significant OS differences among trophic guilds presumably because diet constrains elemental availability (Fagan et al 2002; Frost et al 2006; McIntyre and Flecker 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific variability modulates interspecific variability in animal organismal stoichiometry

El‐Sabaawi

Travis

Zandonà

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

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Interspecific differences in organismal stoichiometry (OS) have been documented in a wide range of animal taxa and are of significant interest for understanding evolutionary patterns in OS. In contrast, intraspecific variation in animal OS has generally been treated as analytical noise or random variation, even though available data suggest intraspecific variability in OS is widespread. Here, we assess how intraspecific variation in OS affects inferences about interspecific OS differences using two co-occurring Neotropical fishes: Poecilia reticulata and Rivulus hartii. A wide range of OS has been observed within both species and has been attributed to environmental differences among stream systems. We assess the contributions of species identity, stream system, and the interactions between stream and species to variability in N:P, C:P, and C:N. Because predation pressure can impact the foraging ecology and life-history traits of fishes, we compare predictors of OS between communities that include predators, and communities where predators are absent. We find that species identity is the strongest predictor of N:P, while stream or the interaction of stream and species contribute more to the overall variation in C:P and C:N. Interspecific differences in N:P, C:P, and C:N are therefore not consistent among streams. The relative contribution of stream or species to OS qualitatively changes between the two predation communities, but these differences do not have appreciable effects in interspecific patterns. We conclude that although species identity is a significant predictor of OS, intraspecific OS is sometimes sufficient to overwhelm or obfuscate interspecific differences in OS.

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“…Increasing RNA content during growth, for example, results in a significant positive correlation between P content and growth rate in invertebrates and microorganisms [8]. Less is known about the stoichiometric costs of life history traits in other taxa, but growth rate has been shown to correlate with the N∶P ratio of freshwater fish, with slow-growing fish displaying lower N∶P ratios that fast growing fish, presumably because fast-growing fish incorporate proportionally more muscle relative to bone [13], [14]. Reproductive status may also influence %C and C∶N in fish likely because reproduction affects lipid accumulation in somatic and reproductive tissues [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Organismal Predictors of Intraspecific Variation in the Stoichiometry of a Neotropical Freshwater Fish

et al. 2012

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The elemental composition of animals, or their organismal stoichiometry, is thought to constrain their contribution to nutrient recycling, their interactions with other animals, and their demographic rates. Factors that affect organismal stoichiometry are generally poorly understood, but likely reflect elemental investments in morphological features and life history traits, acting in concert with the environmental availability of elements. We assessed the relative contribution of organismal traits and environmental variability to the stoichiometry of an insectivorous Neotropical stream fish, Rivulus hartii. We characterized the influence of body size, life history phenotype, stage of maturity, and environmental variability on organismal stoichiometry in 6 streams that differ in a broad suite of environmental variables. The elemental composition of R. hartii was variable, and overlapped with the wide range of elemental composition documented across freshwater fish taxa. Average %P composition was ∼3.2%(±0.6), average %N∼10.7%(±0.9), and average %C∼41.7%(±3.1). Streams were the strongest predictor of organismal stoichiometry, and explained up to 18% of the overall variance. This effect appeared to be largely explained by variability in quality of basal resources such as epilithon N∶P and benthic organic matter C∶N, along with variability in invertebrate standing stocks, an important food source for R. hartii. Organismal traits were weak predictors of organismal stoichiometry in this species, explaining when combined up to 7% of the overall variance in stoichiometry. Body size was significantly and positively correlated with %P, and negatively with N∶P, and C∶P, and life history phenotype was significantly correlated with %C, %P, C∶P and C∶N. Our study suggests that spatial variability in elemental availability is more strongly correlated with organismal stoichiometry than organismal traits, and suggests that the stoichiometry of carnivores may not be completely buffered from environmental variability. We discuss the relevance of these findings to ecological stoichiometry theory.

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Factors influencing carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of fish from a Lake Superior coastal wetland

Cited by 59 publications

References 22 publications

The metabolic basis of whole-organism RNA and phosphorus content

The metabolic basis of whole-organism RNA and phosphorus content

Intraspecific variability modulates interspecific variability in animal organismal stoichiometry

Environmental and Organismal Predictors of Intraspecific Variation in the Stoichiometry of a Neotropical Freshwater Fish

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