The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse
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...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.14491 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ele.14491 |
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crwiley:10.1111/ele.14491 2024-10-13T14:06:38+00:00 The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse Ferraro, Kristy M. Albrecht, Dara Hendrix, Jack G. Wal, Eric Vander Schmitz, Oswald J. Webber, Quinn M. R. Bradford, Mark A. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Animal Welfare Institute 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.14491 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ele.14491 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ecology Letters volume 27, issue 8 ISSN 1461-023X 1461-0248 journal-article 2024 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14491 2024-09-17T04:52:05Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper caribou Wiley Online Library Ecology Letters 27 8 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
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. |
author2 |
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Animal Welfare Institute |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ferraro, Kristy M. Albrecht, Dara Hendrix, Jack G. Wal, Eric Vander Schmitz, Oswald J. Webber, Quinn M. R. Bradford, Mark A. |
spellingShingle |
Ferraro, Kristy M. Albrecht, Dara Hendrix, Jack G. Wal, Eric Vander Schmitz, Oswald J. Webber, Quinn M. R. Bradford, Mark A. The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
author_facet |
Ferraro, Kristy M. Albrecht, Dara Hendrix, Jack G. Wal, Eric Vander Schmitz, Oswald J. Webber, Quinn M. R. Bradford, Mark A. |
author_sort |
Ferraro, Kristy M. |
title |
The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
title_short |
The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
title_full |
The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
title_fullStr |
The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
title_full_unstemmed |
The biogeochemical boomerang: Site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
title_sort |
biogeochemical boomerang: site fidelity creates nutritional hotspots that may promote recurrent calving site reuse |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.14491 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ele.14491 |
genre |
caribou |
genre_facet |
caribou |
op_source |
Ecology Letters volume 27, issue 8 ISSN 1461-023X 1461-0248 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14491 |
container_title |
Ecology Letters |
container_volume |
27 |
container_issue |
8 |
_version_ |
1812812826237992960 |