The assimilation of elements by an organism is dependent on both the environmental availability of the element and the processes of the organism. For some elements, organisms have a challenging time discriminating between nearly identical chemical analogs, for example, calcium and strontium. We tested the hypothesis that in environments where a desired element is scarce, the organism will assimilate a chemically similar analog at an increased rate. Populations of Daphnia pulicaria were manipulated using a microcosm in situ experiment and the results of that experiment tested with a field survey. Experimental results indicated a correlation between higher environmental calcium concentration and lower [Sr]/[Ca] ratios (R² = 0.91, p < 0.05), suggesting that Daphnia in high calcium environments will assimilate more calcium relative to strontium. Field survey results across eight lakes confirmed that as lake calcium concentration increased, the value of [Sr]/[Ca] between the organism and the lake water decreased (R² = 0.60, p < 0.05). Measurement of the elemental ratio of major and trace element analogs within organisms compared to their environments may be a useful tool for measuring the relative bioavailability of the major element, and provide insight into elemental limitation in other calcifying aquatic invertebrates.