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Organismal stoichiometry and the adaptive advantage of variable nutrient use and production efficiency in Daphnia

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  • Mulder, Kenneth
  • Bowden, William Breck

Abstract

Models that describe the ecological stoichiometry of individuals and populations often include a simplifying assumption that nutrient ratios in consumers are constant. However, several experiments suggest that organisms can alter their internal stoichiometry under nutrient poor conditions. These experiments also suggest that the production efficiency (biomass produced per unit ingested) of limiting nutrients increases when food quality is poor. We explored how these two physiological adaptations affected growth and reproduction in Daphnia under low nutrient levels by developing three different dynamic simulation models of an individual daphnid under stoichiometric constraints. All three models were converted into individual-based population models interacting with a process-based algal population model. Calibration of the three individual models demonstrated that the assumption of constant nutrient ratios was unable to replicate experimental observations of Daphnia growth under nutrient limited conditions. The addition of increasing phosphorous production efficiency improved the Daphnia's ability to survive and grow, but still not within reported ranges. The addition of variable stoichiometry in the form of increasing nutrient use efficiency yielded an individual daphnid model that could be calibrated across reported food quantity/quality gradients. Further, the model accurately simulated the demonstrated ability of Daphnia to overcome the limitation of poor food quality and eventually suppress the algal population in a high-energy, low-nutrient system. The model accurately predicted the timing of the peak of the Daphnia population as well as the equilibrium biomass levels for both populations reported in a recent experiment. Explorations of model behavior further demonstrated that the adaptations under consideration increase total system P cycling which increases total system production.

Suggested Citation

  • Mulder, Kenneth & Bowden, William Breck, 2007. "Organismal stoichiometry and the adaptive advantage of variable nutrient use and production efficiency in Daphnia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 202(3), pages 427-440.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:202:y:2007:i:3:p:427-440
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2006.11.007
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cédric L Meunier & Arne M Malzahn & Maarten Boersma, 2014. "A New Approach to Homeostatic Regulation: Towards a Unified View of Physiological and Ecological Concepts," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-7, September.
    2. Zhao, Jingyang & Ramin, Maryam & Cheng, Vincent & Arhonditsis, George B., 2008. "Plankton community patterns across a trophic gradient: The role of zooplankton functional groups," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 213(3), pages 417-436.
    3. Wang, Hao & Lu, Zexian & Raghavan, Aditya, 2018. "Weak dynamical threshold for the “strict homeostasis” assumption in ecological stoichiometry," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 384(C), pages 233-240.
    4. Mulder, Kenneth, 2007. "Modeling the dynamics of nutrient limited consumer populations using constant elasticity production functions," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 207(2), pages 319-326.
    5. Wang, Hao & Sterner, Robert W. & Elser, James J., 2012. "On the “strict homeostasis” assumption in ecological stoichiometry," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 243(C), pages 81-88.
    6. Perhar, Gurbir & Arhonditsis, George B., 2009. "The effects of seston food quality on planktonic food web patterns," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(6), pages 805-820.
    7. Ramin, Maryam & Perhar, Gurbir & Shimoda, Yuko & Arhonditsis, George B., 2012. "Examination of the effects of nutrient regeneration mechanisms on plankton dynamics using aquatic biogeochemical modeling," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 139-155.
    8. Elser, James J. & Loladze, Irakli & Peace, Angela L. & Kuang, Yang, 2012. "Lotka re-loaded: Modeling trophic interactions under stoichiometric constraints," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 3-11.

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