Published in

Wiley, Ecology Letters, 10(26), p. 1700-1713, 2023

DOI: 10.1111/ele.14284

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Quality matters: Stoichiometry of resources modulates spatial feedbacks in aquatic‐terrestrial meta‐ecosystems

Journal article published in 2023 by Benoît Pichon ORCID, Elisa Thébault ORCID, Gérard Lacroix, Isabelle Gounand ORCID
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

Full text: Unavailable

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractSpecies dispersal and resource spatial flows greatly affect the dynamics of connected ecosystems. So far, research on meta‐ecosystems has mainly focused on the quantitative effect of subsidy flows. Yet, resource exchanges at heterotrophic‐autotrophic (e.g. aquatic‐terrestrial) ecotones display a stoichiometric asymmetry that likely matters for functioning. Here, we joined ecological stoichiometry and the meta‐ecosystem framework to understand how subsidy stoichiometry mediates the response of the meta‐ecosystem to subsidy flows. Our model results demonstrate that resource flows between ecosystems can induce a positive spatial feedback loop, leading to higher production at the meta‐ecosystem scale by relaxing local ecosystem limitations (‘spatial complementarity’). Furthermore, we show that spatial flows can also have an unexpected negative impact on production when accentuating the stoichiometric mismatch between local resources and basal species needs. This study paves the way for studies on the interdependency of ecosystems at the landscape extent.