Nitrogen deposition reveals global patterns in plant and animal stoichiometry

Abstract

The elemental content of organisms links cellular biochemistry to ecological processes, from physiology to nutrient dynamics.While plant stoichiometry is thought to vary with climate and nutrient availability across latitudes, the consistency of these patterns across trophic groups and realms remains unclear. Using the StoichLife database, which includes nitrogen and phosphorus content data for 5443 species across 1390 sites, we examine how solar energy (temperature, radiation) and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) influence stoichiometric variation. We find that plant stoichiometry in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems is more strongly associated with environmental gradients, particularly nitrogen deposition, than animal stoichiometry. Contrary to expectations, temperature, radiation, and labile P show limited global effects. Latitudinal patterns in stoichiometry are more closely associated with species turnover rather than intraspecific variation. Given the strong links between stoichiometry and organismal performance, these findings underscore the need to predict the ecological consequences of anthropogenic disruption to global biogeochemical cycles.