Seaduck engineers in the Arctic Archipelago: nesting eiders deliver marine nutrients and transform the chemistry of island soils, plants, and ponds

Seabirds are thought to provide ecological services such as the movement of nutrients between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which may be especially critical to productivity and diversity in nutrient-poor environments. Most Arctic ecosystems are unaffected by local human impacts and are naturall...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia
Main Authors: Clyde, N., Hargan, K. E., Forbes, M. R., Iverson, S. A., Blais, J. M., Smol, J. P., Bump, J. K., Gilchrist, H. G.
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2021
Subjects:
Ecosystem Ecology–Original Research
Arctic
Arctic Island
Canada
Eider Islands
Hudson
Hudson Strait
Nunavut
Arctic Archipelago
Common Eider
Somateria mollissima
Tundra
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8052239/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33675409
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-04889-9
Description
Summary:Seabirds are thought to provide ecological services such as the movement of nutrients between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which may be especially critical to productivity and diversity in nutrient-poor environments. Most Arctic ecosystems are unaffected by local human impacts and are naturally nutrient poor and especially sensitive to warming. Here, we assessed the effects of nesting common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) on soil, vegetation, and pond sediments on island archipelagoes in Hudson Strait between Nunavut and Québec, Canada. Soil, moss, and pond sediments were significantly higher in nitrogen on islands with large numbers of nesting eiders compared to sites with no nesting birds. The highest concentrations of nitrogen in soils and moss occurred at the margins of ponds on eider islands, which correspond to the areas of highest eider use. δ(15)N and δ(34)S values in soils, moss, and sediments indicated substantial marine-derived organic matter inputs at the higher nutrient sites. We propose that by foraging on coastal marine benthic invertebrates and returning to islands to nest, eider ducks bio-transport and concentrate marine-derived nutrients to their colony islands, fertilizing Arctic island ecosystems in the process. As common eiders nest on thousands of low to mid-latitude islands throughout the circumpolar Arctic, these nutrient inputs likely dramatically affect biota and ecosystem functioning throughout the tundra biome. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00442-021-04889-9.

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