Limno‐ STOICH : A comprehensive database linking the elemental stoichiometry of organisms with inland aquatic habitats

Abstract All organisms contain carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in widely ranging amounts and proportions. Integrating existing datasets enables quantification of this variation at global scales. Such efforts could leverage ecological stoichiometry theory, the study of elemental supply and imbalances in ecological interactions, to connect ecological drivers and taxonomic constraints to ecosystem structure and function. Towards this goal, we developed the Limnology Stoichiometric Traits of Organisms In their Chemical Habitats (Limno‐STOICH) database. The Limno‐STOICH database includes 51,576 observations of organismal elemental stoichiometry from >3100 rivers, lakes, wetlands, and other aquatic ecosystem sites on seven continents, derived from 190+ sources. It also includes extensive spatial and temporal metadata to link elemental stoichiometry with ecosystem type, trophic status, etc., and information on organismal data (body size, taxonomic classifications, stable isotope composition) and water physicochemical parameters. The Limno‐STOICH database sets the stage for significant applications across food web ecology, evolutionary ecology, biogeochemistry, and other disciplines.