Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic
Seabirds are an important link between their marine feeding areas and their terrestrial breeding environments, transporting both marine-derived nutrients and contaminants to land via their excreta, feathers and carcasses. The importance of seabird-derived nutrients is particularly apparent in nutrie...
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ftunivottawa:oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/28261 2023-05-15T14:51:35+02:00 Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic Brimble, Samantha 2009 79 p. application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28261 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 en eng University of Ottawa (Canada) Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-05, page: 2833. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28261 http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 Biology Ecology Oceanography Thesis 2009 ftunivottawa https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 2021-01-04T17:09:24Z Seabirds are an important link between their marine feeding areas and their terrestrial breeding environments, transporting both marine-derived nutrients and contaminants to land via their excreta, feathers and carcasses. The importance of seabird-derived nutrients is particularly apparent in nutrient poor regions like the Canadian High Arctic, where biological oases form in the area surrounding a colony. While providing the nutrient subsidies that shape the terrestrial ecosystem of many Arctic sites, seabirds may focus contaminants into their nesting sites at potentially toxic levels. Here, we investigated the impact of a large northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) colony on nearby ponds spanning a broad gradient of seabird influence at Cape Vera, Devon Island. Nutrient concentrations were significantly higher in ponds receiving guano than in reference ponds. The ponds closest to the cliffs, and thus receiving the highest seabird subsidies, were the most contaminated, and in some cases exceeded Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life for As, Cd and Zn. This study demonstrates that seabirds can transport contaminants bioaccumulated from the ocean and funnel them into receptor sites to potentially toxic levels thousands of kilometers from industrial centers. Thesis Arctic Devon Island Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) Arctic Cape Vera ENVELOPE(-89.217,-89.217,76.235,76.235) Devon Island ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) Fulmar ENVELOPE(-46.016,-46.016,-60.616,-60.616) Guano ENVELOPE(141.604,141.604,-66.775,-66.775) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) |
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ftunivottawa |
language |
English |
topic |
Biology Ecology Oceanography |
spellingShingle |
Biology Ecology Oceanography Brimble, Samantha Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
topic_facet |
Biology Ecology Oceanography |
description |
Seabirds are an important link between their marine feeding areas and their terrestrial breeding environments, transporting both marine-derived nutrients and contaminants to land via their excreta, feathers and carcasses. The importance of seabird-derived nutrients is particularly apparent in nutrient poor regions like the Canadian High Arctic, where biological oases form in the area surrounding a colony. While providing the nutrient subsidies that shape the terrestrial ecosystem of many Arctic sites, seabirds may focus contaminants into their nesting sites at potentially toxic levels. Here, we investigated the impact of a large northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) colony on nearby ponds spanning a broad gradient of seabird influence at Cape Vera, Devon Island. Nutrient concentrations were significantly higher in ponds receiving guano than in reference ponds. The ponds closest to the cliffs, and thus receiving the highest seabird subsidies, were the most contaminated, and in some cases exceeded Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life for As, Cd and Zn. This study demonstrates that seabirds can transport contaminants bioaccumulated from the ocean and funnel them into receptor sites to potentially toxic levels thousands of kilometers from industrial centers. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Brimble, Samantha |
author_facet |
Brimble, Samantha |
author_sort |
Brimble, Samantha |
title |
Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
title_short |
Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
title_full |
Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the Canadian High Arctic |
title_sort |
biotransport of marine-derived trace elements to a coastal ecosystem in the canadian high arctic |
publisher |
University of Ottawa (Canada) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28261 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-89.217,-89.217,76.235,76.235) ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) ENVELOPE(-46.016,-46.016,-60.616,-60.616) ENVELOPE(141.604,141.604,-66.775,-66.775) |
geographic |
Arctic Cape Vera Devon Island Fulmar Guano |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Cape Vera Devon Island Fulmar Guano |
genre |
Arctic Devon Island Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar |
genre_facet |
Arctic Devon Island Fulmarus glacialis Northern Fulmar |
op_relation |
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-05, page: 2833. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28261 http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-12470 |
_version_ |
1766322717212016640 |