TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sperfeld, Erik
A1  - Martin-Creuzburg, Dominik
A1  - Wacker, Alexander
T1  - Multiple resource limitation theory applied to herbivorous consumers  Liebig's minimum rule vs. interactive co-limitation
JF  - Ecology letters
N2  - There is growing consensus that the growth of herbivorous consumers is frequently limited by more than one nutrient simultaneously. This understanding, however, is based primarily on theoretical considerations and the applicability of existing concepts of co-limitation has rarely been tested experimentally. Here, we assessed the suitability of two contrasting concepts of resource limitation, i.e. Liebigs minimum rule and the multiple limitation hypothesis, to describe nutrient-dependent growth responses of a freshwater herbivore (Daphnia magna) in a system with two potentially limiting nutrients (cholesterol and eicosapentaenoic acid). The results indicated that these essential nutrients interact, and do not strictly follow Liebigs minimum rule, which consistently overestimates growth at co-limiting conditions and thus is not applicable to describe multiple nutrient limitation of herbivorous consumers. We infer that the outcome of resource-based modelling approaches assessing herbivore population dynamics strongly depends on the applied concept of co-limitation.
KW  - Cholesterol
KW  - Daphnia magna
KW  - eicosapentaenoic acid
KW  - essential resources
KW  - food quality
KW  - herbivore
KW  - multi-nutrient limitation
KW  - nutritional ecology
KW  - von Liebig
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01719.x
SN  - 1461-023X
VL  - 15
IS  - 2
SP  - 142
EP  - 150
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Malden
ER  -