Global-scale changes in organismal stoichiometry as a function of multiple stressors

Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) elements play vital roles in sustaining life on Earth, but are vulnerable to global change. Terrestrial ecosystems are subjected to the cumulative influence of multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors. Yet, the consequences of such increases in multiple stressors on the stoichiometry of plant and animal species are virtually unknown. We constructed a global database including >50,000 observations across 6,202 plant and animal species from six continents, and found that an increasing number of global environmental stressors correlates with the elemental composition of organisms worldwide. Stress associations vary among plant and animal groups, selecting angiosperm species with high‑N:P, and vertebrate species with low‑N:P. Our findings reveal that increases in multiple environmental stressors decouple organismal elemental balance worldwide, with implications for nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability under global change.