We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Diet composition affects the rate and N:P ratio of fish excretion.
- Authors
Moody, Eric K.; Corman, Jessica R.; Elser, James J.; Sabo, John L.
- Abstract
Nutrient recycling by fish can be an important part of nutrient cycles in both freshwater and marine ecosystems. As a result, understanding the mechanisms that influence excretion elemental ratios of fish is of great importance to a complete understanding of aquatic nutrient cycles. As fish consume a wide range of diets that differ in elemental composition, stoichiometric theory can inform predictions about dietary effects on excretion ratios., We conducted a meta-analysis to test the effects of diet elemental composition on consumption and nutrient excretion by fish. We examined the relationship between consumption rate and diet N : P across all laboratory studies and calculated effect sizes for each excretion metric to test for significant effects., Consumption rate of N, but not P, was significantly negatively affected by diet N : P. Effect sizes of diet elemental composition on consumption-specific excretion N, P and N : P in laboratory studies were all significantly different from 0, but effect size for raw excretion N : P was not significantly different from zero in laboratory or field surveys., Our results highlight the importance of having a mechanistic understanding of the drivers of consumer excretion rates and ratios. We suggest that more research is needed on how consumption and assimilation efficiency vary with N : P and in natural ecosystems in order to further understand mechanistic processes in consumer-driven nutrient recycling.
- Subjects
EXCRETION; DIETARY supplements; NITROGEN in the body; PHOSPHORUS in the body; NUTRIENT cycles; MARINE ecology; AQUATIC ecology; FISHES
- Publication
Freshwater Biology, 2015, Vol 60, Issue 3, p456
- ISSN
0046-5070
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/fwb.12500