Eutrophication turns aquatic omnivores into vegetarians

The investigated ditch adjacent to agricultural fields. Picture: Ralf Verdonschot. The feeding behaviour of several invertebrate animals in aquatic food webs is drastically changed by increasing inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus into surface waters. This is demonstrated in a new study by researchers from the University of Amsterdam and Wageningen Environmental Research, that is now published in the scientific journal Ecology. The researchers show that several invertebrate animals shift their diet from animal to plant material as the nutritional quality of algae and water plants increases. The nutrient crisis. Human activity, in particular intensified agriculture, has dramatically increased the inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus into surface waters.