Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to predict how animals regulate nutritional balances within their tissue and, as a result, how animal biomass affects ecosystem processes through nutrient cycling. However, most interspecific and developmental stoichiometric studies in animals focus on invertebrates, and the few vertebrate studies are largely fish‐centric. Larval anurans are ideal vertebrates to test predictions of developmental and interspecific stoichiometry as they undergo a complex development, exhibit broad arrays of life‐history traits, and can constitute high animal biomass in wetlands, implying major roles in wetland nutrient storage and cycling. We examined (1) patterns of body stoichiometry across larval developmental stages within multiple anuran species, (2) whether key predictors of stoichiometric change, specifically body size, developmental period, and breeding season, influence interspecific stoichiometric variation, and (3) natural magnitudes and fluctuations of larval anuran nutrient storage in geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs). We measured carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) tissue content in larval anurans across five developmental stages within 11 species collected from four GIWs to examine patterns of developmental and interspecific stoichiometry. Within species, we found broad developmental stoichiometric patterns in which later developmental stages were lower in %N, but higher in %P than earlier stages. Patterns in %C were inconsistent but were generally lower in later stages, while tissue C:N ratios increased, and C:P and N:P decreased in later developmental stages. Interspecific stoichiometric variation was partially explained by body size and developmental period which positively affected %C and C:N ratios. We observed spatial and temporal fluctuations in species‐specific biomass which dictated nutrient storage patterns within larval anuran assemblages, though stoichiometric identity played a major role. Our estimated magnitudes of larval anuran areal nutrient storage also greatly exceeded that of other wetland fauna with the maximum estimated areal P storage reaching over 200 times that of a similar‐density co‐occurring invertebrate group. These results highlight stoichiometric patterns of development and interspecific variation in a diverse group of amphibians while providing critical baseline information for elucidating the role of anurans in wetland nutrient dynamics.

中文翻译：

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幼虫无脊椎动物遵循化学计量理论的预测：对湿地养分储存的影响

生态化学计量学提供了一个框架，可预测动物如何调节其组织内的营养平衡，以及因此，动物生物量如何通过养分循环影响生态系统过程。然而，大多数动物的种间和发育化学计量学研究都集中在无脊椎动物，而很少有脊椎动物研究主要以鱼类为中心。幼虫无脊椎动物是理想的脊椎动物，可以测试发育和种间化学计量的预测，因为它们经历了复杂的发展，展现出广泛的生命历史特征，并且可以在湿地中构成较高的动物生物量，这暗示着在湿地养分存储和循环中的重要作用。我们研究了（1）多种无环物种在幼虫发育阶段的身体化学计量模式，（2）化学计量变化的关键预测因素，尤其是个体大小，发育时期和繁殖季节，会影响种间化学计量的变化，以及（3）地理上孤立的湿地（GIWs）中幼虫无硫营养养分的自然大小和波动。我们测量了从四个GIW收集的11个物种中五个发育阶段的幼虫无碳动物的碳（C），氮（N）和磷（P）组织含量，以检查发育和种间化学计量的模式。在物种内，我们发现了广泛的发育化学计量模式，其中较晚的发育阶段的％N较低，但％P的较高。％C的模式不一致，但通常在后期降低，而组织C：N比例增加，而在后期发育中C：P和N：P降低。种间化学计量的变化部分由体重和发育时期积极地影响％C和C：N比来解释。我们观察到了物种特异性生物量的时空波动，这些波动决定了幼虫无水组合中的养分存储模式，尽管化学计量身份起着主要作用。我们估计的幼虫无脊椎动物区域养分储量也大大超过了其他湿地动物，其最大的区域磷储量达到了类似密度的同时发生的无脊椎动物种群的200倍以上。这些结果突出了不同两栖动物群中发育和种间变异的化学计量模式，同时提供了关键的基线信息，阐明了无氧菌在湿地养分动态中的作用。