Detritivores maintain stoichiometric homeostasis, but alter body size and population density in response to altitude induced stoichiometric mismatches

Summary

This field study on Changbai Mountain examined how stoichiometric mismatches between soil litter and millipede detritivores change with altitude and affect consumer physiology and demography. Using ecological stoichiometry theory, the authors found that whilst millipedes maintain internal stoichiometric homeostasis, altitude-driven shifts in litter element composition alter stoichiometric mismatch patterns, which in turn shape millipede body size and population density through differential effects of key elements (N, Ca, P, Na, Cu) on different functional groups. The findings suggest that consumer-resource stoichiometric dynamics represent an important yet underappreciated mechanism linking environmental change to soil invertebrate communities.

UK applicability

The altitudinal gradient on Changbai Mountain (800–1850 m) and temperate forest litter context provide a model system for understanding stoichiometric constraints on soil fauna, though UK field conditions differ substantially in elevation range, climate, and soil fauna composition. The mechanisms identified may inform studies of UK soil invertebrate responses to environmental change, particularly along topographic or environmental gradients.

Key measures

Concentrations of eleven chemical elements in litter and millipede tissues; multidimensional stoichiometric niches (MSNs); stoichiometric mismatch patterns; millipede body size; population density; element-specific correlations (N, Ca, P, Na, Cu)

Outcomes reported

The study quantified multidimensional stoichiometric niches and mismatches between litter and five functional groups of millipedes across an 800–1850 m altitudinal gradient, measuring how element concentrations in litter and stoichiometric mismatch patterns varied with altitude and correlated with millipede body size and population density.

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