The biogeochemical niche based on elementome and its applications in different ecosystems
Background & Aims:All biological organisms are constructed with a specific range and ratio of bioelements—namely the elementome.Organisms integrate multiple elements in optimal ratios to adapt to environmental heterogeneity.Biological elementome is assumed to be species-specific,which is determined by evolutionary history(phylogenetic distances)and controlled by inter-species competition and homeostasis.In community ecology,bioelemental composition and the variations in elementome provide an ideal indicator for quantifying the niche segregation of certain species in a community and predicting the possible responses of niche(displacement,expansion or concentration)to changes in environmental conditions.Biogeochemical niche(BN)quantifies species niches using the concept of elementome and n-dimensional hypervolume.On the basis of a brief summary of niche theory and ecological stoichiometry,we introduced the theoretical framework and the confirmatory studies of biogeochemical niche hypothesis(BNH)in this review.The prospects of its applications in different ecosystems were also discussed.Review results:According to the BNH,the biogeochemical niche of certain species is defined as a function of phylogenetic distances(taxonomy),species sympatry(inter-species competitive pressure)and homeostasis/plasticity(the ability to maintain a stable elemental composition).This theory applies not only to plants,but also to animals and microbes.Using"biogeochemical niche(s)","metabolomic niche(s)","stoichiometric niche(s)"as key words,we conducted literature searches utilizing Web of Science(WoS)and CNKI,and manually picked out 84 relevant studies in November 2023.The studies mainly focused on C,N and P,and the most common keywords were"ecological stoichiometry"and"elemental composition".In terms of taxa,the main taxa concerned in the studies were plants(54 articles),followed by animals(14 articles)and microorganisms(14 articles).We review the recent progress of BNH by taxa in this article.Prospects & Suggestions:We suggest that the study of BNH be extended from C,N and P to more bioelements,to identify the species niche more accurately in higher dimensions.In different ecosystems,especially in stressful habitats,organisms should change their elementome to adapt to varied environments.More studies focusing on additional taxa(aquatic plants,plankton,fish,etc.)or certain habitats(freshwater or saline lake,river,high mountain,desert,etc.)are likely to help validate the universality of BNH.Furthermore,we propose to study the variations in biogeochemical niche at different life history stages of living beings,and bridge BN and population dynamics,to provide evidence for mechanism of species coexistence.
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