Ecology 6th Edition by Charles Krebs

Exercise 5

In assessing the metabolic theory of ecology, Sterner (2004) notes that it assumes that limiting resources are simple and consistent across all plant and animal groups. But he notes that the ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus as well as other elements vary widely in different organisms. Read Sterner (2004) and discuss whether there could be a universal currency for ecological systems so that we could ignore the chemical peculiarities of individual species.