2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
6/05/2017 | 12:15 PM - 12:30 PM | From elements to metabolism: exploring the coupling of autotrophic stoichiometry and ecosystem function in spring-fed rivers | 306B
From elements to metabolism: exploring the coupling of autotrophic stoichiometry and ecosystem function in spring-fed rivers
Whereas ecological stoichiometry is a framework based on elemental ratios for understanding how organisms interact within ecosystems; metabolism is an integrative metric of ecosystem function and energetics, synthesizing the relative contributions of multiple inputs, processes, and interactions. Relating the two may potentially inform ecosystem scale use of elements and energy. This study quantified the coupling between the stoichiometry of ecosystem metabolism, specifically the C:N ratios of integrated autotrophic assimilation, and the stoichiometric tissue ratios observed in the dominant autotrophs. Using high frequency in-situ nutrient sensors, the assimilatory fluxes of C and N in multiple spring-fed rivers of varying autotrophic species composition were estimated; additionally, autotroph cover in each spring river, body mass and tissue stoichiometry were measured. Results show strong correlation between measured tissue stoichiometry and elemental ratios at the ecosystem scale, suggesting that aggregated assimilatory fluxes may be useful for linking organismal nutrient content to the stoichiometry of ecosystem metabolism.
- S29 Macrosystem Ecology of Aquatic Systems
- C10 Biogeochemistry
- S19 Elements and energy as fundamental currencies of nature: using ecological stoichiometry as a tool to advance the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems
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Presenters/Authors
Rachel Nifong
(), Agricultural Research Service, USDA, rachel.nifong@ars.usda.gov;
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