StoichLife: A Global Dataset of Plant and Animal Elemental Content

The elemental content of life is a key trait shaping ecology and evolution, yet organismal stoichiometry has largely been studied on a case-by-case basis. This limitation has hindered our ability to identify broad patterns and mechanisms across taxa and ecosystems. To address this, we present StoichLife, a global dataset of 28,049 records from 5,876 species spanning terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms. Compiled from published and unpublished sources, StoichLife documents elemental content and stoichiometric ratios (%C, %N, %P, C:N, C:P, and N:P) for individual plants and animals. The dataset is standardized and, where available, includes information on taxonomy, habitat, body mass (for animals), geography, and environmental conditions such as temperature, solar radiation, and nutrient availability. By providing an unprecedented breadth of organismal stoichiometry, StoichLife enables the exploration of global patterns, ecological and evolutionary drivers, and context-dependent variations. This resource advances our understanding of the chemical makeup of life and its responses to environmental change, supporting progress in ecological stoichiometry and related fields.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Data
Published
2025-04-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04852-w
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Isotope Analysis in Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
10.30

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

StoichLife: A Global Dataset of Plant and Animal Elemental Content

Alexei V. Tiunov, Gustavo Q. Romero, Alice Blanckaert, Vinicius F. Farjalla et al.
6 citations
Scientific Data
Isotope Analysis in Ecology
10.30
article

StoichLife: A Global Dataset of Plant and Animal Elemental Content

Alexei V. Tiunov, Gustavo Q. Romero, Alice Blanckaert, Vinicius F. Farjalla, Eugênia Zandonà, Ulrich Brose, Michael Steinwandter, Karl Andraczek, Maren Striebel, Judith Sitters, Anton Potapov, Mark P. Nessel, W. Stanley Harpole, Sarah L. Bluhm, Jean‐Christophe Aymes, Helmut Hillebrand, Jacques Labonne, Melanie M. Pollierer, Julia Seeber, Nico Eisenhauer, Stefan Scheu, Pavel Kratina, Nicole Scheunemann, Attila Mozsár, Michelle C. Jackson, Michał Filipiak, Jean‐Marc Roussel, Renske E. Onstein, Julian Merder, Angélica L. González, Winda Ika Susanti, Olivier Dézerald, James M. Hood, Liam N. Nash, Shawn Leroux, Amanda T. Rugenski, Catherine E. Lovelock, Eric K. Moody, Erik Sperfeld, Hideyuki Doi, George L. W. Perry, Rachel E. Paseka, Malte Jochum
article en
6 citations

Abstract

The elemental content of life is a key trait shaping ecology and evolution, yet organismal stoichiometry has largely been studied on a case-by-case basis. This limitation has hindered our ability to identify broad patterns and mechanisms across taxa and ecosystems. To address this, we present StoichLife, a global dataset of 28,049 records from 5,876 species spanning terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms. Compiled from published and unpublished sources, StoichLife documents elemental content and stoichiometric ratios (%C, %N, %P, C:N, C:P, and N:P) for individual plants and animals. The dataset is standardized and, where available, includes information on taxonomy, habitat, body mass (for animals), geography, and environmental conditions such as temperature, solar radiation, and nutrient availability. By providing an unprecedented breadth of organismal stoichiometry, StoichLife enables the exploration of global patterns, ecological and evolutionary drivers, and context-dependent variations. This resource advances our understanding of the chemical makeup of life and its responses to environmental change, supporting progress in ecological stoichiometry and related fields.

Scientific DataVol. 12(1)
Oklahoma State University (US), The Graduate Center, CUNY (US), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR), Jagiellonian University (PL), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (DE), Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (MA), Eurac Research (IT), Federal Highway Administration (US), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (DE), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (FR), University of Auckland (NZ), Ifremer (FR), The University of Queensland (AU), University of Georgia (US), Queen Mary University of London (GB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Universität Innsbruck (AT), Middlebury College (US), Carnegie Institution for Science (US), Kyoto University (JP), University of Würzburg (DE), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Universität Greifswald (DE), Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BR), University of Oxford (GB), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (DE), Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (NL), B-Ware (Netherlands) (NL), Institute of Zoology (KZ), HUN-REN Balaton Limnological Research Institute (HU), German Environment Agency (DE), Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (DE), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (VN), Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution (RU), The Ohio State University (US), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), University of Göttingen (DE), Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BR), Leipzig University (DE)
National Science Foundation, Royal Society, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Russian Science Foundation, Vlaamse regering, Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Australian Research Council
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Isotope Analysis in Ecology
10.30
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.