a bottleneck for biodiversity and ecosystem services · – a bottleneck for biodiversity and ecosystem services. ... • Biochemical and physiological constraints of life ... Our

Jaroslav Vrba

Department of Ecosystem BiologyFaculty of Science, University of South Bohemia,

České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Biology Centre ASCR, v.v.i.Institute of Hydrobiology

Jaroslav Vrba: Ecological stoichiometryALTER-net Summer School, Peyresq, 2008

Ecological stoichiometry– a bottleneck for biodiversity and ecosystem services

ES studies a balance of energy and particular

chemical elements in ecological interactions

• Historical outlines

• Framework of evolutionary biology

• Biochemical and physiological constraints of life

• Population and community dynamics

• Ecosystem structure and functioning

• Sustainable ecosystem servicesJaroslav Vrba: Ecological stoichiometryALTER-net Summer School, Peyresq, 2008

Ecological stoichiometry – outlines

Ecological stoichiometry – outlines

Stoichiometry: Law of definite proportion(or Law of constant composition)

Lotka (1925) –stoichiometry in biology

Liebig (1840) – Law of Minimum

Redfield (1934, 1958) –atomic C:N:P ratio = 106:16:1

Plankton ecology (>1990) –ecological stoichiometry

Conservation of mass and Conservation of energyin biology


Ecological stoichiometry

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Ecological stoichiometry at WoS

Web of Science ~ World of Stoichiometry… ☺


Biotic interactions!

ProductionRespiration

Ecological stoichiometry ?

Synthesis of production ecology and population ecology…

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + 2802 kJ C6H12O6 + 6 O2

= phytoplankton biomass

106 CO2 + 16 NO3– + HPO4

2– + 122 H2O + 18 H+

+ trace elements + energy

C106H263O110N16P1 + 138 O2

H375000000 O1320000000 C85700000 N6430000 Ca1500000 P1020000

S206000 Na183000 K177000 Cl127000 Mg40000 Si38600 Fe2680

Zn2110 Cu76 I14 Mn13 F13 Cr7 Se4 Mo3 Co1

human body =

4


Biogenic elements are non-homeostatic !

Element Resource (A > 10-2 > B> 10-6 > C > 10-9 > D) Earth crust Oceans Vertebrates (proxy for) (terrestrial ecos.) (aquatic ecosyst.) (heterotr. consumer) hydrogen D << A A H carbon B B < A C nitrogen B > C << A N oxygen A A A O sodium A A > B Na magnesium A > B B Mg silica A > B B Si phosphorus B > C << A P sulphur B B B S kalium A > B B K calcium A B < A Ca manganese B >> D < C Mn iron A >> D << B Fe


Stoichiometry of cells – cell chemistry

Composition of biomolecules – biochemical stoichiometry

Selection for C, N & P in biochemical evolution


Growth Rate Hypothesis (GRH) = ribosomes

C(energy)=saccharides & lipids

C+N=proteins

Growth Rate Hypothesis (GHR)

r-strategists

= ideal phytoplankton

K-strategists N2 fixers(N:P>40)


Arrigo (2005) Nature 437

Growth Rate Hypothesis (GHR)

r-strategists (Cladocera) = high need in P !


Homeostasis of heterotrophic consumers

Growth (resource utilization) may change stoichiometry

Are you what you eat?

Autotrophs: rather YES Heterotrophs: mostly NOT


Homeostasis of vertebrates

Structural investment = skeleton

changes fundamentally needs in resource stoichiometry

great need in P & Ca !


great need in P & Ca !


Homeostasis of vertebrates

Structural investment = skeleton

changes fundamentally needs in resource stoichiometry

even during ontogenesis

Pilati & Vanni (2007) Oikos 116

Stoichiometry of populations & communities


1. Conservation of mass holds for each element

2. Nutrient availability controls population growth & dynamics

3. Nutrient use efficiencies determine (species) competitiveness

4. Resources’ imbalance controls (particular) nutrient regeneration

5. Resource stoichiometry determines biotic interactions

6. Stoichiometry determines structure of food webs

7. Stoichiometry does control biodiversity

Stoichiometry of populations & communities


In particular effects of P supply should impinge on fitness

& drive evolutionary change

Jeyasingh & Weider (2007) Mol. Ecol. 16

Food web stoichiometry

Bottom-up: soil nutrient availability (i.e. rain) in a desert

controls both producer’s and consumer’s stoichiometry

Sabinia setosa (Curculionidea)

Prosopis velutina(Fabaceae)


Schade et al. (2003) Ecol. Lett. 6



Top-down: cascading effect of predation and resource

stoichiometry

Top-down: cascading effect of predation and resource

stoichiometry determine un/successful biomanipulation

☺☺



Nutrient regeneration is species specific (26 vertebrates)



Vanni et al. (2002) Ecol. Lett. 5

Consumer and resource stoichiometry controls efficiency

(GGEC) = carbon + energy dissipation !

Redfield



Vegetation Eleocharis (control)

Eleocharis +P

Typha +P

plant biomass C:P 4865 712 1555 plant biomass N:P 74 12.1 15.1

Sediment microb. biom. C:P 97.2 17.7 69.2 microb. biom. N:P 3.1 0.5 3.1 interstic. SRP (µg/l) 0.8 7.3 16.1

Experimental eutrophication of wetlands (Belize: +P)

Soil microbes

Soil P

Plants


Ecosystem stoichiometry

Vegetation Eleocharis (control)

Eleocharis +P

Typha +P

plant biomass C:P 4865 712 1555 plant biomass N:P 74 12.1 15.1

Sediment microb. biom. C:P 97.2 17.7 69.2 microb. biom. N:P 3.1 0.5 3.1 interstic. SRP (µg/l) 0.8 7.3 16.1

Soil

microbesSoil P

Plants



= distinct stoichiometry of producers / detritus (litter)Rejmankova & Houdkova (2006) BGC 80, Šantrůčková et al. (unpubl.)





= distinct stoichiometry of producers / detritus (litter)

+ occurrence of mosquitoes (Anopheles spp.)

causing a serious health hazard = malariaGrieco et al. (2005) J. Vector Ecol. 30Grieco et al. (2006) J. Med. Entomol. 43Grieco et al. (2007) J. Vector Ecol. 32

Distinct stoichiometry of terrestrial and aquatic producers

Terrestrial ecosystems: high C:N:P = high (structural !) biomass

Aquatic ecosystems: low C:N:P = low biomass, high production !


Ecosystem stoichiometry vs. productivity ?

Distinct stoichiometry of terrestrial and aquatic producers

Terrestrial ecosystems: high C:N:P = high (structural !) biomass

Aquatic ecosystems: low C:N:P = low biomass, high production !


Ecosystem stoichiometry vs. productivity ?

OECD Model (Vollenweider): seston chlorophyl–TP relationship



Anthropogenic impacts =

deposition, fertilisers, eutrophication…

Human activity turns

both landscape and the planet in “a large-scale excrement”…



lakes

coastal ecosystems



Anthropogenic impacts =

deposition, fertilisers, eutrophication…

Ecosystem services – e.g., of coastal ecosystems

Si:N



Si:N

Si:N


Ecosystem services – e.g., of coastal ecosystems


Ptacnik et al. (2005) Oikos 109

Ecosystem services – increase in [CO2] vs. production



Carbon sequestration ?Timber ?Biodiversity ?

Körner (2006) New Phytol. 172




Carbon sequestration ?Timber ?Biodiversity ?


rapid rotation = decrease in mean biomass storage



Biofuel plantation is no sustainable solution !




Food/crops planted at 2×[CO2] = micronutrient malnutrition

cerealsall crops


Loladze (2002) Trends Ecol. Evol. 17


Ecological stoichiometry – a synthesis






Gaia, a global ecosystem? = homeostasis of the Ocean

Arrigo K.R. (2005) Marine microorganisms and global nutrient cycles. Nature 437, 349–355.


Global homeostasis of soils

Cleveland C.C. & Liptzin D. (2007) C:N:P stoichiometry in soil: is there a ‘‘Redfield ratio’’ for the microbial biomass?. Biogeochemistry 85, 235–252.


Our analysis indicates that, similar to marine phytoplankton, element con-centrations of individual phylogeneticgroups within the soil microbial community may vary, but on average, atomic C:N:P ratios in both the soil (186:13:1) and the soil microbial biomass (60:7:1) are well-constrained at the global scale.

… The issue is not that we must wait for a future biology to arrive, but that we should notice and take good stock of what is already underway.

Ecological stoichiometry – a challenge

Ecological stoichiometry – a challenge


Thank you for considering ecological stoichiometry.

Take it as a homework !

Thank you for attention…

…and the ALTER-net Summer School conveners for invitation.

Documents

a bottleneck for biodiversity and ecosystem services · – a bottleneck for biodiversity and ecosystem services. ... • Biochemical and physiological constraints of life ... Our