A stoichiometric niche approach to pitcher-plant food webs

Functional traits are fundamental component of the ecological niche. Among these functional traits, the elemental composition of living organisms (i.e., carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) plays key roles in determining community structure and biogeochemical processes. We aim to assess the elemental trait distribution of aquatic organisms across spatial scales, from local to regional. We are using the aquatic communities of macroinvertebrates inhabiting pitcher plants. These systems represent ideal models to study stoichiometric trait niche variation in ecological communities, and can help understand how organismal traits may respond to environmental changes and affect the structure and functioning of ecological communities.