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CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN ECOSYSTEMS: THE ROLE OF STOICHIOMETRY.
- Source :
- Ecology; May2004, Vol. 85 Issue 5, p1179-1192, 14p
- Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- The fate of carbon (C) in organisms, food webs, and ecosystems is to a major extent regulated by mass-balance principles and the availability of other key nutrient elements. In relative terms, nutrient limitation implies excess C, yet the fate of this C may be quite different in autotrophs and heterotrophs. For autotrophs nutrient limitation means less fixation of inorganic C or excretion of organic C, while for heterotrophs nutrient limitation means that more of ingested C will "go to waste" in the form of egestion or respiration. There is in general a mismatch between autotrophs and decomposers that have flexible but generally high C:element ratios, and consumers that have lower C:element ratios and tighter stoichiometric regulation. Thus, C-use efficiency in food webs may be governed by the element ratios in autotroph biomass and tend to increase when C:element ratios in food approach those of consumers. This tendency, has a strong bearing on the sequestration of C in ecosystems, since more C will be diverted to detritus entering soils or sediments when C-use efficiency is low due to stoichiometric imbalance. There will be a strong evolutionary pressure to utilize such excess C for structural and metabolic purposes. This article explores how these basic principles may regulate C sequestration on different scales in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- CARBON
BIOTIC communities
GRAZING
NITROGEN
PHOSPHORUS
STOICHIOMETRY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00129658
- Volume :
- 85
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Ecology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 13449774
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1890/02-0251