Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics ( IF 11.8 ) Pub Date : 2021-11-03 , DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-090118 Michael Kaspari 1
Beyond the better-studied carbohydrates and the macronutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, a remaining 20 or so elements are essential for life and have distinct geographical distributions, making them of keen interest to ecologists. Here, I provide a framework for understanding how shortfalls in micronutrients like iodine, copper, and zinc can regulate individual fitness, abundance, and ecosystem function. With a special focus on sodium, I show how simple experiments manipulating biogeochemistry can reveal why many of the variables that ecologists study vary so dramatically from place to place. I conclude with a discussion of how the Anthropocene's changing temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 levels are contributing to nutrient dilution (decreases in the nutrient quality at the base of food webs).
中文翻译:
元素周期表的看不见的手:微量营养素如何塑造生态
除了研究得更深入的碳水化合物和常量营养素氮和磷之外,还有大约 20 种左右的元素对生命至关重要,并且具有不同的地理分布,这使生态学家对它们产生了浓厚的兴趣。在这里,我提供了一个框架,用于了解碘、铜和锌等微量营养素的不足如何调节个体健康、丰度和生态系统功能。我特别关注钠,展示了操纵生物地球化学的简单实验如何揭示为什么生态学家研究的许多变量因地而异。我最后讨论了人类世不断变化的温度、降水和大气 CO 2水平如何导致营养稀释(食物网底部的营养质量下降)。