Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS19 Revisiting Redfield: C:N:P Stoichiometry in Aquatic Ecosystems (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 4:30:00 PM

Location: Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque

Nisbet, R, M, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, nisbet@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Muller, E, B, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, muller@lifesci.ucsb.edu

McCauley, E, , University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, mccauley@ucalgary.ca

Kooijman, S, A, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands, bas@bio.vu.nl

Elser, J, J, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA, j.elser@asu.edu

MODELING THE EFFECTS OF HERBIVORE STOICHIOMETRY ON THE STABILITY OF PLANT-HERBIVORE SYSTEMS

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that regulation of C:N:P ratios within herbivores affects recycling rates of N and P, growth of herbivores, population dynamics, and herbivore community structure. Previous work by T. Andersen on simple models of zooplankton and their algal food has shown that nutrient limitation of herbivore growth may lead to herbivore extinction, the precise conditions depending on (a) the ratio of the minimum nutrient quota of the algae to the (fixed) quota in the herbivore, and (b) the relationship between herbivore growth rate and algal quota. We generalize these findings by developing mechanistic representations of herbivore growth that use the concept of synthesizing unit, recently proposed by S.A.L.M. Kooijman. We find that the viability of the herbivore population depends strongly on the details of assumptions regarding feeding, assimilation and maintenance, and mortality.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

Quicklinks