Regulation of herbivore growth by the balance of light and nutrients.
Regulation of herbivore growth by the balance of light and nutrients.
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.93.16.8465
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发表时间：
1996-08
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
J. Urabe;R. Sterner
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Urabe;R. Sterner
利用浮游生物进行的实验表明，辐射能和有效养分的平衡通过影响初级生产者的丰度和化学成分来调节草食动物的生长速度。在低光营养比条件下，藻类和食草动物均存在能量限制，而在高光营养比条件下，二者均存在营养限制。在低光/营养比下，由于藻类生物量的增加，草食动物的生长随光强的增加而增加，但在高光/营养比下，由于藻类质量的下降，生长随光强的增加而下降。因此，在光/营养比中等水平时，草食动物产量最大。研究结果有助于理解生态系统中的质量传递机制，并说明能源货币和物质货币在生态学中的整合重要性。
Experiments using planktonic organisms revealed that the balance of radiant energy and available nutrients regulated herbivore growth rates through their effects on abundance and chemical composition of primary producers. Both algae and herbivores were energy limited at low light/nutrient ratios, but both were nutrient limited at high light/nutrient ratios. Herbivore growth increased with increasing light intensity at low values of the light/nutrient ratio due to increases in algal biomass, but growth decreased with increasing light at a high light/nutrient ratio due to decreases in algal quality. Herbivore production therefore was maximal at intermediate levels of the light/nutrient ratio. The results contribute to an understanding of mass transfer mechanisms in ecosystems and illustrate the importance of integration of energy-based and material-based currencies in ecology.