Organism Size, Life History, and N:P Stoichiometry

Elser, James J.; Dobberfuhl, Dean R.; MacKay, Neil A.; Schampel, John H.

doi:10.2307/1312897

Cited by 850 publications

(596 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The available data thus shows that the unbalanced humaninduced inputs of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus into the biosphere are altering environmental N:P ratios and that these altered environmental N:P ratios are affecting the metabolism and growth rates, and therefore the life histories and competitiveness of various microbes, plants and animals 33 . The observed metabolic shifts associated with organisms N:P ratio change 21 provide support for the hypothesis that exceedances of the optimal N:P ratios can reduce growth rates 34 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human-induced nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe

et al. 2013

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The burning of fossil fuels, and the formation of nitrogen oxides, has resulted in a widespread increase in the deposition of nitrogen, especially around densely populated areas. Globally, the deposition of reactive nitrogen from fossil fuel burning amounts to [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Tg N per year (ref. 4).…”

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confidence: 99%

Human-induced nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe

et al. 2013

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“…Food quality and UVR exposure-The C : N : P stoichiometry in invertebrate metazoa is driven by differences in allocation to P-rich ribosomal RNA (rRNA) to meet the protein-synthesis demands associated with differences in characteristic specific growth rates of particular taxa and/or life stages (Elser et al 1996(Elser et al , 2000b. Ribosomes constitute a central part of the biosynthesis machinery in all cells since they are the structures where both structural and enzymatic proteins are synthesized.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are both structurally and functionally important in all organisms (Sterner 1995;Elser et al 1996), often limiting primary and bacterial production (Vrede et al 1999) and consumer growth (Gulati and DeMott 1997;Elser et al 2000a;Ferrao-Filho et al 2007). Moreover, it has been shown that carbon (C) : N : P stoichiometry is related to the elevated protein synthesis during rapid growth due to allocation to P-rich ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA; Elser et al 1996Elser et al , 2000b. Since chemical reactions in living organisms are catalyzed by enzymes, the vast majority of which are proteins, it follows that stoichiometric constraints may be also crucial for enzymatic activities.…”

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confidence: 99%

Living in transparent lakes: Low food P:C ratio decreases antioxidant response to ultraviolet radiation in Daphnia

Balseiro

Souza

Modenutti

et al. 2008

Limnology & Oceanography

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We experimentally tested the effect of food quality (phosphorus [P] : carbon [C] ratio) on the response of antioxidant enzymes to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in Daphnia commutata fed with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Algal cultures were grown at different concentrations of phosphorus and light intensities, resulting in significant differences in the P : C ratios (mmol P?[mmol C] 21 ; 6.05, 1.70, and 0.83). After 12 d of D. commutata growth under these three food quality treatments, we observed significant differences in individual biomass and protein content of Daphnia. Subsequently, we carried out an ultraviolet exposure experiment to determine if stoichiometric constraints imposed would limit enzymatic defenses against UVR oxidative stress. The UVR-exposure experiment consisted of a factorial design with three levels of food P : C (low, medium, and high) and two levels of UVR (exposed and protected). The activities of glutathione S-transferases (GST) and catalase (CAT), enzymes involved in protection and repair of damage caused by UVR, were determined. Enzyme activities in the animals exposed to or protected from UVR showed a direct relationship with food P : C ratio that fit exponential models. Although GST and CAT differed slightly in their response to UVR, both enzymes were significantly affected by food quality: In low P : C treatments, there was significantly lower enzyme activity in response to UVR for both enzymes. Low food quality (less P for biosynthesis) may also impose a weaker antioxidant response on the organisms, a response of considerable ecological relevance in transparent Andean lakes which combine high UVR intensities with low seston P : C ratios.

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“…The growth-rate hypothesis (GRH), one of the central paradigms of ecological stoichiometry (3,4), proposes that growing organisms must increase their allocation of P to RNA to meet the elevated demands for the synthesis of proteins required for growth. Low ratios of environmental N/P and C/P favor species with very high rates of growth (5) and may induce shifts in species communities (6,7).…”

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confidence: 99%

Strong relationship between elemental stoichiometry and metabolome in plants

Rivas‐Ubach

Sardans

Pérez‐Trujillo

et al. 2012

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

231

209

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Shifts in the elemental stoichiometry of organisms in response to their ontogeny and to changing environmental conditions should be related to metabolomic changes because elements operate mostly as parts of molecular compounds. Here we show this relationship in leaves of Erica multiflora throughout their seasonal development and in response to moderate experimental field conditions of drought and warming. The N/P ratio in leaves decreased in the metabolically active growing seasons, coinciding with an increase in the content of primary metabolites. These results support the growthrate hypothesis that states that rapidly growing organisms present low N/P ratios because of the increase in allocation of P to RNA. The foliar N/K and P/K ratios were lower in summer and in the drought treatment, in accordance with the role of K in osmotic protection, and coincided with the increase of compounds related to the avoidance of water stress. These results provide strong evidence of the relationship between the changes in foliar C/N/P/K stoichiometry and the changes in the leaf's metabolome during plant growth and environmental stress. Thus these results represent a step in understanding the relationships between stoichiometry and an organism's lifestyle.climate change | metabolomics | ecometabolomics | Mediterranean climate

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Organism Size, Life History, and N:P Stoichiometry

Cited by 850 publications

References 42 publications

Human-induced nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe

Human-induced nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe

Living in transparent lakes: Low food P:C ratio decreases antioxidant response to ultraviolet radiation in Daphnia

Strong relationship between elemental stoichiometry and metabolome in plants

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