Across-trophic variation of potassium, calcium and magnesium stoichiometric traits in a parasitism food chain across temperate and subtropical biomes
Xiao Sun A B , Andrea Rosanoff C and Chunjiang Liu A D E F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dongchuan Road 800, Shanghai 200240, China.
B College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
C Center for Magnesium Education and Research, 13-1255 Malama Street, Pahoa, HI 96778, USA.
D Shanghai Urban Forest Research Station, State Forestry Bureau, Shanghai 200240, China.
E Key Laboratory for Urban Agriculture (South), Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai 200240, China.
F Corresponding author. Email: chjliu@sjtu.edu.cn
Crop and Pasture Science 66(12) 1290-1297 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP15090
Submitted: 15 March 2015 Accepted: 27 October 2015 Published: 21 December 2015
Abstract
Potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are three macro-elements essential for plants and animals. The ratios K : Mg or K : (Ca + Mg) are viewed as indices of physiological status in livestock animals. In plants, Ca, Mg and K concentrations can vary with climate in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, with a widespread tree species (Chinese cork oak, Quercus variabilis Blume) and an acorn predator (the weevil Curculio davidi Fairmaire), we investigate how K, Ca and Mg vary in soils, plant tissues (leaves and acorns) and a consumer (herbivore insects) with climatic variables induced by latitude (LAT) across the temperate–subtropical areas of eastern China. Concentrations of K, Ca and Mg in soils, leaves, acorns and weevil larvae showed different degrees of variation across the study area, but only Mg concentration increased significantly with rising LAT across all four trophic levels, albeit with varying slopes. With rising mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP), soil Ca significantly decreased, as did leaf and acorn K concentrations, whereas all four tropic levels showed significant decreases in Mg content with both MAT and MAP (P < 0.05–0.001). Leaf and acorn Ca : Mg showed significant relationships with LAT and MAT (P < 0.05–0.01). The K : (Mg + Ca) ratio in soils and weevil larvae increased linearly with MAP (P < 0.05), and acorn K : (Mg + Ca) ratio varied in a concave manner (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that variations of Ca, Mg and K in plant tissues and weevil larva across a study area of 20° LAT range were largely driven by climatic factors, and that Mg concentration changes in all four trophic levels with climate (and LAT) largely drive changes in soil, plant and consumer ratios between Mg, Ca and/or K. These results provide information on possible effects of climate change on nutrient dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems.
Additional keywords: eastern Asia, ecological stoichiometry, ecosystem processes, herbivore insects, leaching.
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