Elemental ratios link environmental change and human health

Journal article


Paseka, Rachel E., Bratt, Anika R., MacNeill, Keeley L., Burian, Alfred, See, Craig R. and Paseka, R. 2019. Elemental ratios link environmental change and human health. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00378
AuthorsPaseka, Rachel E., Bratt, Anika R., MacNeill, Keeley L., Burian, Alfred, See, Craig R. and Paseka, R.
Abstract

Humans have fundamentally altered the cycling of multiple elements on a global scale. These changes impact the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with many implications for human health. Most prior studies linking biogeochemical changes to human health have evaluated the effects of single elements in isolation. However, the relative availability of multiple elements often determines the biological impact of shifts in the concentration of a single element. The balance of multiple elements is the focus of ecological stoichiometry, which highlights the importance of elemental ratios in biological function across all systems and scales of organization. Consequently, ecological stoichiometry is a promising framework to inform research on the links between global changes to elemental cycles and human health. We synthesize evidence that elemental ratios link global change with human health through biological processes occurring at two scales: in the environment (natural ecosystems and food systems) and within the human body. Elemental ratios in the environment impact the key ecosystem processes of productivity and biodiversity, both of which contribute to the production of food, toxins, allergens, and parasites. Elemental ratios in diet impact processes within the human body, including the function and interactions of the immune system, parasites, and the non-pathogenic microbiome. Collectively, these stoichiometric effects contribute to a wide range of non-infectious and infectious diseases. By describing stoichiometric mechanisms linking global change, ecological processes, and human health, we hope to inspire future empirical and theoretical research on this theme.

Keywordsbiological stoichiometry; disease; ecological stoichiometry; food security; global change; nutrition; public health; water quality
Year2019
JournalFrontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Journal citation7
PublisherFrontiers
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00378
Web address (URL)https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85074177049&origin=inward
http://hdl.handle.net/10545/624304
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
hdl:10545/624304
Publication dates10 Oct 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited02 Dec 2019, 11:17
Accepted20 Sep 2019
Rights

CC0 1.0 Universal

ContributorsUniversity of Derby
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/928vv/elemental-ratios-link-environmental-change-and-human-health

Download files

  • 54
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Biodiversity–production feedback effects lead to intensification traps in agricultural landscapes
Burian, A., Kremen, C., Shyan-Tau Wu, J., Beckmann, M., Bulling, M., Garibaldi, L., Krisztin, T., Mehrabi, Z., Ramankutty, N. and Seppelt, R. 2024. Biodiversity–production feedback effects lead to intensification traps in agricultural landscapes. Nature Ecology and Evolution. pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02349-0
'Phototaxis' in the absence of light? Locomotory patterns in unionid mussels.
Zapitis, C., Ramsay, A., Huck, M., Landler, L. and Burian, A. 2023. 'Phototaxis' in the absence of light? Locomotory patterns in unionid mussels. Journal of Experminental Biology. 226 (18), pp. 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.245159
Low- cost management interventions and their impact on multilevel trade- offs in agricultural grasslands
Burian, A., Norton, B., Alston, D. and Willmot, A. 2023. Low- cost management interventions and their impact on multilevel trade- offs in agricultural grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology. pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14492
Predation increases multiple components of microbial diversity in activated sludge communities.
Burian, A., Pinn, D., Peralta-Maraver, I., Sweet, M., Mauvisseau, Q., Eyice, O., Bulling, M., Röthig, T. and Kratina, P. 2022. Predation increases multiple components of microbial diversity in activated sludge communities. ISME. 16, p. 1086–1094. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01145-z
Seasonality, DNA degradation and spatial heterogeneity as drivers of eDNA detection dynamics
Troth, Christopher R., Sweet, Michael J., Nightingale, Jen and Burian, Alfred 2021. Seasonality, DNA degradation and spatial heterogeneity as drivers of eDNA detection dynamics. Science of The Total Environment. 768, p. 144466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144466
Corals as canaries in the coalmine: towards the incorporation of marine ecosystems into the ‘One Health’ concept
Michael Sweet, Mark Bulling and Burian, A. 2021. Corals as canaries in the coalmine: towards the incorporation of marine ecosystems into the ‘One Health’ concept. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/gv6s7
The potential of fatty acid isotopes to trace trophic transfer in aquatic food-webs
Burian, Alfred, Nielsen, Jens M., Hansen, Thomas, Bermudez, Rafael and Winder, Monika 2020. The potential of fatty acid isotopes to trace trophic transfer in aquatic food-webs. Phylosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 375 (1804), p. 20190652. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0652
Tracing the origin of olive ridley turtles entangled in ghost nets in the Maldives: A phylogeographic assessment of populations at risk
Stelfox, M., Burian, A., Shanker, Kartik, Rees, Alan F., Jean, Claire, Willson, Maïa S., Manik, Nashwa Ahmed and Sweet, Michael 2020. Tracing the origin of olive ridley turtles entangled in ghost nets in the Maldives: A phylogeographic assessment of populations at risk. Biological Conservation. 245, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108499
A community-based evaluation of population growth and agro-pastoralist resilience in Sub-Saharan drylands
Karaya, Rebecca, Wernersson, Julia E.V., Egberth, Mikael, Lokorwa, Benjamin, Nyberg, Gert, Alfred, Burian and Alfred, Burian 2018. A community-based evaluation of population growth and agro-pastoralist resilience in Sub-Saharan drylands. Environmental Science & Policy. 92, pp. 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.10.021
Nutrient deficiencies and the restriction of compensatory mechanisms in copepods
Burian, Alfred, Grosse, Julia, Winder, Monika, Boschker, Henricus T.S. and Burian, A. 2017. Nutrient deficiencies and the restriction of compensatory mechanisms in copepods. Functional Ecology. 32. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13016
First detection of a highly invasive freshwater amphipod (Crangonyx floridanus) in the United Kingdom
Mauvisseau, Q., John Davy-Bowker, David Bryson, Graham R. Souch, Burian, A. and Michael Sweet 2018. First detection of a highly invasive freshwater amphipod (Crangonyx floridanus) in the United Kingdom. Regional Euro-Asian biological Invasions Centre. https://doi.org/10.1101/437301