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Vogels JJ, Van de Waal DB, WallisDeVries MF, Van den Burg AB, Nijssen M, Bobbink R, Berg MP, Olde Venterink H, Siepel H. Towards a mechanistic understanding of the impacts of nitrogen deposition on producer-consumer interactions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1712-1731. [PMID: 37265074 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deposition has increased substantially since the second half of the 20th century due to human activities. This increase of reactive N into the biosphere has major implications for ecosystem functioning, including primary production, soil and water chemistry and producer community structure and diversity. Increased N deposition is also linked to the decline of insects observed over recent decades. However, we currently lack a mechanistic understanding of the effects of high N deposition on individual fitness, species richness and community structure of both invertebrate and vertebrate consumers. Here, we review the effects of N deposition on producer-consumer interactions, focusing on five existing ecological frameworks: C:N:P ecological stoichiometry, trace element ecological stoichiometry, nutritional geometry, essential micronutrients and allelochemicals. We link reported N deposition-mediated changes in producer quality to life-history strategies and traits of consumers, to gain a mechanistic understanding of the direction of response in consumers. We conclude that high N deposition influences producer quality via eutrophication and acidification pathways. This makes oligotrophic poorly buffered ecosystems most vulnerable to significant changes in producer quality. Changes in producer quality between the reviewed frameworks are often interlinked, complicating predictions of the effects of high N deposition on producer quality. The degree and direction of fitness responses of consumers to changes in producer quality varies among species but can be explained by differences in life-history traits and strategies, particularly those affecting species nutrient intake regulation, mobility, relative growth rate, host-plant specialisation, ontogeny and physiology. To increase our understanding of the effects of N deposition on these complex mechanisms, the inclusion of life-history traits of consumer species in future study designs is pivotal. Based on the reviewed literature, we formulate five hypotheses on the mechanisms underlying the effects of high N deposition on consumers, by linking effects of nutritional ecological frameworks to life-history strategies. Importantly, we expect that N-deposition-mediated changes in producer quality will result in a net decrease in consumer community as well as functional diversity. Moreover, we anticipate an increased risk of outbreak events of a small subset of generalist species, with concomitant declines in a multitude of specialist species. Overall, linking ecological frameworks with consumer life-history strategies provides a mechanistic understanding of the impacts of high N deposition on producer-consumer interactions, which can inform management towards more effective mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost J Vogels
- Bargerveen Foundation, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Dedmer B Van de Waal
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel F WallisDeVries
- De Vlinderstichting / Dutch Butterfly Conservation, P.O. Box 6700 AM, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Marijn Nijssen
- Bargerveen Foundation, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Roland Bobbink
- B-WARE Research Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Matty P Berg
- A-LIFE, Section Ecology & Evolution, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- GELIFES, Community and Conservation Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harry Olde Venterink
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Henk Siepel
- Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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2
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Li S, Huang Y, Li Y. Homeostatic responses and growth of Leymus chinensis under incrementally increasing saline-alkali stress. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10768. [PMID: 33717669 PMCID: PMC7931712 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite considerable tolerance to salt and alkali stress, Leymus chinensis populations on the southwestern Songnen Plain in northern China are threatened by increasing soil salinity and alkalinity. To explore the species' responses to saline-alkali stress, we grew it in substrates with varying concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) while applying varying levels of saline-alkali stress (increasing in 14-, 17- or 23 -day intervals). We measured the plants' contents of N and P, and the N:P ratio, and calculated their homeostasis indices (HN , HP and HN:P ) under each nutrient and saline-alkali stress treatment. The N content was found to be more sensitive to saline-alkali stress than the P content. The N and P contents were highest and the N:P ratio was stable at pH 8.4. At both pH 8.1 and 8.4, H N:P> H N > H P, but the indices and their relations differed at other pH values. Exposure to saline-alkali stress for the 14-day incremental interval had weaker effects on the plants. Rapid changes in salinity-alkalinity weakened both the positive effects of the weakly alkaline conditions (pH 7.5-8.4) and the negative effects of more strongly alkaline conditions (pH 8.7 or 9.3) on L. chinensis. When L. chinensis plants lack N, applying N fertilizer will be extremely efficient. The optimal concentrations of N and P appeared to be 16 and 1.2 mmol/L, respectively. When the L. chinensis plants were N- and P-limited, the specific growth rate correlated positively with N:P, when limited by N it correlated positively with the environmental N concentration, and when limited by P it was weakly positively correlated with the environmental P concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujie Li
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key laboratory of Mineral Resources Evaluation in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Land and Resources, Changchun, China
| | - Yujin Huang
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing, China
| | - Yuefen Li
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Key laboratory of Mineral Resources Evaluation in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Land and Resources, Changchun, China
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3
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Sun W, Shi F, Chen H, Zhang Y, Guo Y, Mao R. Relationship between relative growth rate and C:N:P stoichiometry for the marsh herbaceous plants under water-level stress conditions. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Hu X, Zhang L, Zhang D, Niu D, Fu H. Effect of phosphorus efficiency on elemental stoichiometry of two shrubs. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2020; 22:615-622. [PMID: 32160384 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient that can restrict plant growth. However, the influence of P deficiency on elemental homeostasis and application of the growth rate hypothesis in higher plants remain to be assessed. Two shrubs, Zygophyllum xanthoxylum and Nitraria tangutorum, were used as experiment material and subjected to five P addition treatments: 0, 17.5, 35.0, 52.5 and 70.0 mg P·kg-1 soil. The biomass and relative growth rate of Z. xanthoxylum did not change with altered P supply. There was no significant difference in P concentration among the treatments for Z. xanthoxylum, but N. tangutorum showed an upward trend. The P stoichiometric homeostasis of Z. xanthoxylum was higher than that of N. tangutorum. For Z. xanthoxylum, available P in the rhizosphere improved significantly under extreme P deficiency conditions, and P concentrations in all treatments were lower than in N. tangutorum, showing that Z. xanthoxylum had stronger P absorption and P utilization capacity. No relationships between growth rate and C:N:P ratios were found in Z. xanthoxylum. The strong P efficiency, and high and stable dry matter accumulation, are likely contributors in maintaining stoichiometric homeostasis. In addition, the relatively high biomass accumulation and high P utilization efficiency for Z. xanthoxylum does not support the growth rate hypothesis for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - L Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - D Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - D Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - H Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Van Dievel M, Tüzün N, Stoks R. Latitude-associated evolution and drivers of thermal response curves in body stoichiometry. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1961-1972. [PMID: 31408526 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Trait-based studies are needed to understand the plastic and genetic responses of organisms to warming. A neglected organismal trait is elemental composition, despite its potential to cascade into effects on the ecosystem level. Warming is predicted to shape elemental composition through shifts in storage molecules associated with responses in growth, body size and metabolic rate. Our goals were to quantify thermal response patterns in body composition and to obtain insights into their underlying drivers and their evolution across latitudes. We reconstructed the thermal response curves (TRCs) for body elemental composition [C (carbon), N (nitrogen) and the C:N ratio] of damselfly larvae from high- and low-latitude populations. Additionally, we quantified the TRCs for survival, growth and development rates and body size to assess local thermal adaptation, as well as the TRCs for metabolic rate and key macromolecules (proteins, fat, sugars and cuticular melanin and chitin) as these may underlie the elemental TRCs. All larvae died at 36°C. Up to 32°C, low-latitude larvae increased growth and development rates and did not suffer increased mortality. Instead, growth and development rates of high-latitude larvae were lower and levelled off at 24°C, and mortality increased at 32°C. This latitude-associated thermal adaptation pattern matched the 'hotter-is-better' hypothesis. With increasing temperatures, low-latitude larvae decreased C:N, while high-latitude larvae increased C:N. These patterns were driven by associated changes in N contents, while C contents did not respond to temperature. Consistent with the temperature-size rule and the thermal melanism hypothesis, body size and melanin levels decreased with warming. While all traits and associated macromolecules (except for metabolic rate that showed thermal compensation) assumed to underlie thermal responses in elemental composition showed thermal plasticity, these were largely independent and none could explain the stoichiometric TRCs. Our results highlight that thermal responses in elemental composition cannot be explained by traditionally assumed drivers, asking for a broader perspective including the thermal dependence of elemental fluxes. Another key implication is that thermal evolution can reverse the plastic stoichiometric thermal responses and hence reverse how warming may shape food web dynamics through changes in body composition at different latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Van Dievel
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nedim Tüzün
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robby Stoks
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Goos JM, Swain CJ, Munch SB, Walsh MR. Maternal diet and age alter direct and indirect relationships between life‐history traits across multiple generations. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jared M. Goos
- Department of Biology University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas
| | - Cameron J. Swain
- Department of Biology University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas
| | - Stephan B. Munch
- Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Santa Cruz California
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California‐Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California
| | - Matthew R. Walsh
- Department of Biology University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas
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7
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Piper MD. Using artificial diets to understand the nutritional physiology of Drosophila melanogaster. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 23:104-111. [PMID: 29129274 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Artificial diets have been in use for rearing insects for more than 100 years. Their composition ranges from completely chemically defined (holidic), to semi-defined (meridic) to non-defined (oligidic). Recently, meridic and holidic diets have been used to demonstrate previously unrecognised nutrient-sensitive behaviours and patterns of fitness trait expression in adult Drosophila melanogaster. This article presents a summary of the basic nutritional requirements of Drosophila followed by an account of some of these nutrient-modified phenotypes and what they can reveal about fundamental mechanisms. Precisely controlled nutrition, combined with the many advantages of Drosophila present an ideal system for the development of large scale metabolic modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dw Piper
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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8
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Ligand-Bound GeneSwitch Causes Developmental Aberrations in Drosophila that Are Alleviated by the Alternative Oxidase. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2016; 6:2839-46. [PMID: 27412986 PMCID: PMC5015941 DOI: 10.1534/g3.116.030882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Culture of Drosophila expressing the steroid-dependent GeneSwitch transcriptional activator under the control of the ubiquitous α-tubulin promoter was found to produce extensive pupal lethality, as well as a range of dysmorphic adult phenotypes, in the presence of high concentrations of the inducing drug RU486. Prominent among these was cleft thorax, seen previously in flies bearing mutant alleles of the nuclear receptor Ultraspiracle and many other mutants, as well as notched wings, leg malformations, and bristle abnormalities. Neither the α-tubulin-GeneSwitch driver nor the inducing drug on their own produced any of these effects. A second GeneSwitch driver, under the control of the daughterless promoter, which gave much lower and more tissue-restricted transgene expression, exhibited only mild bristle abnormalities in the presence of high levels of RU486. Coexpression of the alternative oxidase (AOX) from Ciona intestinalis produced a substantial shift in the developmental outcome toward a wild-type phenotype, which was dependent on the AOX expression level. Neither an enzymatically inactivated variant of AOX, nor GFP, or the alternative NADH dehydrogenase Ndi1 from yeast gave any such rescue. Users of the GeneSwitch system should be aware of the potential confounding effects of its application in developmental studies.
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9
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Janssens L, Van Dievel M, Stoks R. Warming reinforces nonconsumptive predator effects on prey growth, physiology, and body stoichiometry. Ecology 2015; 96:3270-80. [DOI: 10.1890/15-0030.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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10
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Cease AJ, Fay M, Elser JJ, Harrison JF. Dietary phosphate affects food selection, post-ingestive phosphorus fate, and performance of a polyphagous herbivore. J Exp Biol 2015; 219:64-72. [PMID: 26567345 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Comparisons of the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (P) content of plants and insect herbivores suggests that P limitation and herbivore foraging to balance P intake could be common. However, the lack of synthetic diets for testing the effects of lower ranges of dietary P has been a major impediment to experimental assessment of the ecological importance of, and physiological responses to, P limitation for terrestrial herbivores. We manipulated dietary P content (%P) over its observed range in terrestrial foliage using artificial diets containing near-optimal content of other nutrients for the grasshopper Schistocerca americana. Over much of the ecologically relevant range, when consuming single diets over a lifetime, higher P stimulated growth rates and increased survival, with an optimal dietary %P of 0.25-0.50% when measured throughout development. Excessive dietary P (1%) reduced growth and survival. However, with only short-term (3 day) confinement to single diets, dietary P had no effect on food consumption or growth rates. During these short exposures, fifth (but not third) instar hoppers increased the proportion of P excreted relative to P assimilated as dietary P increased. Target experiments demonstrated that, when given a choice, grasshoppers select among foods to attain a P intake target of 0.6%. These data suggest that P limitation could be common for terrestrial insect herbivores and that they can exhibit ingestive and post-ingestive mechanisms to attain sufficient but not excessive P.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianne J Cease
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Michelle Fay
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - James J Elser
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jon F Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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11
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Plant fertilization interacts with life history: variation in stoichiometry and performance in nettle-feeding butterflies. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0124616. [PMID: 25932628 PMCID: PMC4416804 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in food stoichiometry affects individual performance and population dynamics, but it is also likely that species with different life histories should differ in their sensitivity to food stoichiometry. To address this question, we investigated the ability of the three nettle-feeding butterflies (Aglais urticae, Polygonia c-album, and Aglais io) to respond adaptively to induced variation in plant stoichiometry in terms of larval performance. We hypothesized that variation in larval performance between plant fertilization treatments should be functionally linked to species differences in host plant specificity. We found species-specific differences in larval performance between plant fertilization treatments that could not be explained by nutrient limitation. We showed a clear evidence of a positive correlation between food stoichiometry and development time to pupal stage and pupal mass in A. urticae. The other two species showed a more complex response. Our results partly supported our prediction that host plant specificity affects larval sensitivity to food stoichiometry. However, we suggest that most of the differences observed may instead be explained by differences in voltinism (number of generations per year). We believe that the potential of some species to respond adaptively to variation in plant nutrient content needs further attention in the face of increased eutrophication due to nutrient leakage from human activities.
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12
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Yu Q, Wu H, He N, Lü X, Wang Z, Elser JJ, Wu J, Han X. Testing the growth rate hypothesis in vascular plants with above- and below-ground biomass. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32162. [PMID: 22427823 PMCID: PMC3302800 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth rate hypothesis (GRH) proposes that higher growth rate (the rate of change in biomass per unit biomass, μ) is associated with higher P concentration and lower C:P and N:P ratios. However, the applicability of the GRH to vascular plants is not well-studied and few studies have been done on belowground biomass. Here we showed that, for aboveground, belowground and total biomass of three study species, μ was positively correlated with N:C under N limitation and positively correlated with P:C under P limitation. However, the N:P ratio was a unimodal function of μ, increasing for small values of μ, reaching a maximum, and then decreasing. The range of variations in μ was positively correlated with variation in C:N:P stoichiometry. Furthermore, μ and C:N:P ranges for aboveground biomass were negatively correlated with those for belowground. Our results confirm the well-known association of growth rate with tissue concentration of the limiting nutrient and provide empirical support for recent theoretical formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Honghui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nianpeng He
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaotao Lü
- State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - James J. Elser
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Jianguo Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy and Sustainability Science (SUCCESS), Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Visanuvimol L, Bertram SM. How dietary phosphorus availability during development influences condition and life history traits of the cricket, Acheta domesticas. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2011; 11:63. [PMID: 21864157 PMCID: PMC3281447 DOI: 10.1673/031.011.6301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus is extremely limited in the environment, often being 10-20 times lower in plants than what invertebrate herbivores require. This mismatch between resource availability and resource need can profoundly influence herbivore life history traits and fitness. This study investigated how dietary phosphorus availability influenced invertebrate growth, development time, consumption, condition, and lifespan using juvenile European house crickets, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Crickets reared on high phosphorus diets ate more food, gained more weight, were in better condition at maturity, and contained more phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon in their bodies at death than crickets reared on low phosphorus diets. There was also a trend for crickets reared on high phosphorus diets to become larger adults (interaction with weight prior to the start of the experiment). These findings can be added to the small but growing number of studies that reveal the importance of phosphorus to insect life history traits. Future research should explore the importance of dietary phosphorus availability relative to protein, lipid, and carbohydrate availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laksanavadee Visanuvimol
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, I 125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIS 5B6
| | - Susan M. Bertram
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, I 125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIS 5B6
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14
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Andersen LH, Kristensen TN, Loeschcke V, Toft S, Mayntz D. Protein and carbohydrate composition of larval food affects tolerance to thermal stress and desiccation in adult Drosophila melanogaster. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 56:336-40. [PMID: 19931279 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2009.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2009] [Revised: 11/09/2009] [Accepted: 11/10/2009] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Larval nutrition may affect a range of different life history traits as well as responses to environmental stress in adult insects. Here we test whether raising larvae of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, on two different nutritional regimes affects resistance to cold, heat and desiccation as well as egg production and egg-to-adult viability. We raised larvae on a carbohydrate-enriched and a protein-enriched growth medium. We found that flies developed on the high protein medium had increased heat and desiccation tolerance compared to flies developed on the carbohydrate-enriched medium. In contrast, flies developed on the carbohydrate-enriched growth medium recovered faster from chill coma stress compared to flies developed on a protein-enriched medium. We also found gender differences in stress tolerance, with female flies being more tolerant to chill coma, heat knockdown and desiccation stress compared to males. Egg production was highest in females that had developed on the protein-enriched medium. However, there was a sex-specific effect of nutrition on egg-to-adult viability, with higher viability for males developing on the sucrose-enriched medium, while female survival was highest when developing on the protein-enriched medium. Our study indicates that larval nutrition has a strong impact on the ability to cope with stress, and that the optimal nutrient composition varies with the type of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laila H Andersen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Genetics and Ecology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade, Building 1540, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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15
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16
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Matzek V, Vitousek PM. N:P stoichiometry and protein:RNA ratios in vascular plants: an evaluation of the growth-rate hypothesis. Ecol Lett 2009; 12:765-71. [PMID: 19392715 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01310.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The growth-rate hypothesis states that fast-growing organisms need relatively more phosphorus-rich RNA to support rapid rates of protein synthesis, and therefore predicts, within and among taxa, increases in RNA and phosphorus content (relative to protein and nitrogen content) with increased growth rate. Here, we present a test of this hypothesis in vascular plants. We determined nitrogen : phosphorus ratios and protein:RNA ratios in pines growing at different rates due to nutrient conditions. In general, when comparing leaves of the same species at low and high growth rates, the faster-growing plants had higher RNA content, higher %N and %P, and lower protein:RNA ratios, but not consistently lower N:P ratios. We found no link between growth rate and foliar N:P or protein:RNA when comparing multiple species of different inherent growth rates. We conclude that plants adjust the balance of protein and RNA to favour either speed or efficiency of protein synthesis, but this balance does not alone dictate leaf stoichiometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Matzek
- Department of Environmental Studies, California State University, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA.
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Hambäck PA, Gilbert J, Schneider K, Martinson HM, Kolb G, Fagan WF. Effects of body size, trophic mode and larval habitat on Diptera stoichiometry: a regional comparison. OIKOS 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.17177.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Elser J. Biological stoichiometry: a chemical bridge between ecosystem ecology and evolutionary biology. Am Nat 2007; 168 Suppl 6:S25-35. [PMID: 17109326 DOI: 10.1086/509048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The mission of the American Society of Naturalists is "to advance and diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences." In this article, I argue that the area of biology least integrated with knowledge of organic evolution is the field of ecosystem ecology, as evidenced by a semiquantitative literature survey of use of terms in the scientific literature. I present an overview of recent theoretical developments and empirical findings in the emerging field of biological stoichiometry (the study of the balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in living systems). These developments hold some promise as a means to conceptually integrate ecosystem ecology, with its emphasis on flows and pools of energy and chemical elements, with evolutionary biology, with its emphasis on genetic fitness and the biochemical products of the genome. For example, recent evidence indicates that organismal C : P and N : P ratios have a major impact on biologically mediated flows of energy and phosphorus; in turn, variations among taxa in these ratios are connected to evolved differences in organismal growth rate because of the connection between growth rate and the need for increased allocation to P-rich ribosomal RNA. In this way, evolutionary change in growth-related traits, by altering organismal P requirements, has direct biogeochemical implications, while ecosystem conditions can constrain evolutionary acceleration of growth rates by imposing a direct P limitation on production of the needed biochemical machinery of growth. Thus, stoichiometric theory provides a broad biological principle that can interconvert the currencies and concerns of ecosystem ecology and evolutionary biology, facilitating integration of diverse fields of study and contributing to conceptual unification of the biological sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Elser
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
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ELSER JJ, WATTS T, BITLER B, MARKOW TA. Ontogenetic coupling of growth rate with RNA and P contents in five species of Drosophila. Funct Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01165.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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