Predicting nutrient excretion of aquatic animals with metabolic ecology and ecological stoichiometry: a global synthesis

The metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) and ecological stoichiometry (ES) are both prominent frameworks for understanding energy and nutrient budgets of organisms. We tested their separate and joint power to predict nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion rates of ectothermic aquatic invertebrate an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) Vol. 97; no. 12; pp. 3460 - 3471
Main Authors: Vanni, Michael J., McIntyre, Peter B.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2016
Ecological Society of America
Subjects:
Animals
Aquatic animals
Aquatic ecosystems
aquatic invertebrates
Aquatic life
Aquatic organisms
Bioenergetics
biogeochemical cycles
biogeochemistry
Body composition
Body size
Body temperature
Budgeting
Budgets
Carnivores
Classification
Coefficient of variation
Consumers
Consumption
Diet
Ecology
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
ectothermy
Energy
Energy Metabolism
Estimates
Evolution
Excretion
Fresh Water
freshwater
global
global studies
Interspecific
interspecific variation
Invertebrates
Invertebrates - physiology
lakes/ponds
limnology/hydrology
marine
Mathematical models
Metabolism
Models, Biological
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - chemistry
Nitrogen - metabolism
Nutrients
Oceans and Seas
Phosphorus
Phosphorus - chemistry
Phosphorus - metabolism
physiological ecology
prediction
Predictions
Recycling
reservoirs
rivers/streams
Scaling
Stoichiometry
Temperature effects
Variables
Vertebrates
Vertebrates - physiology
Water temperature
physiological ecology
global studies
ecosystems
limnology/hydrology
rivers/streams
reservoirs
global
animals
freshwater
lakes/ponds
biogeochemistry
marine
ISSN:0012-9658, 1939-9170
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) and ecological stoichiometry (ES) are both prominent frameworks for understanding energy and nutrient budgets of organisms. We tested their separate and joint power to predict nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion rates of ectothermic aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate animals (10,534 observations worldwide). MTE variables (body size, temperature) performed better than ES variables (trophic guild, vertebrate classification, body N:P) in predicting excretion rates, but the best models included variables from both frameworks. Size scaling coefficients were significantly lower than predicted by MTE (<0.75), were lower for P than N, and varied greatly among species. Contrary to expectations under ES, vertebrates excreted both N and P at higher rates than invertebrates despite having more nutrient-rich bodies, and primary consumers excreted as much nutrients as carnivores despite having nutrient-poor diets. Accounting for body N:P hardly improved upon predictions from treating vertebrate classification categorically. We conclude that basic data on body size, water temperature, trophic guild, and vertebrate classification are sufficient to make general estimates of nutrient excretion rates for any animal taxon or aquatic ecosystem. Nonetheless, dramatic interspecific variation in size-scaling coefficients and counter-intuitive patterns with respect to diet and body composition underscore the need for field data on consumption and egestion rates. Together, MTE and ES provide a powerful conceptual basis for interpreting and predicting nutrient recycling rates of aquatic animals worldwide.
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ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
DOI:10.1002/ecy.1582