1. Nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment cause declines in invertebrate populations: a global meta‐analysis
- Author
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Theresa Konnovitch, Mark P. Nessel, Gustavo Q. Romero, and Angélica L. González
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0303 health sciences ,Biomass (ecology) ,Nitrogen ,Ecology ,Aquatic ecosystem ,Phosphorus ,Biology ,Invertebrates ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Nutrient ,Abundance (ecology) ,Animals ,Humans ,Ecosystem ,Biomass ,Species richness ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,030304 developmental biology ,Trophic level ,Invertebrate - Abstract
Human-driven changes in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs are modifying biogeochemical cycles and the trophic state of many habitats worldwide. These alterations are predicted to continue to increase, with the potential for a wide range of impacts on invertebrates, key players in ecosystem-level processes. Here, we present a meta-analysis of 1679 cases from 207 studies reporting the effects of N, P, and combined N + P enrichment on the abundance, biomass, and richness of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Nitrogen and phosphorus additions decreased invertebrate abundance in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with stronger impacts under combined N + P additions. Likewise, N and N + P additions had stronger negative impacts on the abundance of tropical than temperate invertebrates. Overall, the effects of nutrient enrichment did not differ significantly among major invertebrate taxonomic groups, suggesting that changes in biogeochemical cycles are a pervasive threat to invertebrate populations across ecosystems. The effects of N and P additions differed significantly among invertebrate trophic groups but N + P addition had a consistent negative effect on invertebrates. Nutrient additions had weaker or inconclusive impacts on invertebrate biomass and richness, possibly due to the low number of case studies for these community responses. Our findings suggest that N and P enrichment affect invertebrate community structure mainly by decreasing invertebrate abundance, and these effects are dependent on the habitat and trophic identity of the invertebrates. These results highlight the important effects of human-driven nutrient enrichment on ecological systems and suggest a potential driver for the global invertebrate decline documented in recent years.
- Published
- 2021
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