Abstract:
Animals interact with nutrient cycles by consuming and depositing nutrients, interactions studied separately in nutritional ecology and zoogeochemistry. Recent theoretical work bridges these disciplines, highlighting that animal-driven nutrient recycling could be crucial in helping animals meet their nutritional needs. When animals exhibit site fidelity, they consistently deposit nutrients, potentially improving vegetation quality. We investigated this potential feedback by analysing changes in forage nitrogen stocks following simulated caribou calving. We found that forage nitrogen stocks increased after 2 weeks and remained elevated after 1 year, a change due to increased forage quality, not quantity. We also developed a nutrient budget within calving grounds, demonstrating that natal fluid and calf carcasses contribute substantial nitrogen subsidies. We, thus, highlight a positive zoogeochemical feedback whereby nutrients deposited during calving become bioavailable during lactation and provide evidence that site fidelity creates a biogeochemical boomerang in which animals deposit nutrients that can be reused later.
摘要:
动物通过消耗和沉积营养与营养循环相互作用,在营养生态学和动物地球化学中分别研究了相互作用。最近的理论工作架起了这些学科的桥梁,强调动物驱动的营养回收在帮助动物满足其营养需求方面至关重要。当动物表现出现场保真度时,它们不断地沉积营养,有可能改善植被质量。我们通过分析模拟驯鹿产卵后饲草氮储量的变化来研究这种潜在的反馈。我们发现饲用氮储存量在2周后增加,在1年后保持升高,由于饲料质量的提高,不是数量。我们还在产蛋场内制定了营养预算,证明了出生液和小腿尸体贡献了大量的氮补贴。我们,因此,强调一个积极的动物地球化学反馈,即在产牛期间沉积的营养物质在哺乳期间成为生物可利用的,并提供证据表明,现场保真度会产生生物地球化学回旋镖,动物在其中沉积营养物质,以后可以重复使用。