HUMAN IMPACTS ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS FROM THE LENS OF ECOLOGICAL STOICHIOMETRY

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are under different anthropogenic pressures, such as climate change, eutrophication, chemical pollution, overfishing, and introducing exotic species. Human activities have accelerated biogeochemical cycles forcing organisms and ecosystems to adapt. Most ecological stoichiometry studies are focused on carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and their relative proportions. Still, the possibilities for investigations using other elements to better understand the impacts of human pressures on aquatic ecosystems are vast. Therefore, here we explore how different anthropogenic activities influence ecosystem balance in terms of nutrient composition and stoichiometry. We conclude that human interventions have affected the functioning of aquatic ecosystems in terms of energy flow due to stoichiometric imbalances. We also conclude that the interplay between macro and micronutrient stoichiometry might raise important axioms to predict and understand human impacts on the functioning of aquatic ecosystems.