Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment
Seabirds are major vertebrates in the coastal ecosystems of the Canadian High Arctic, where they transport substantial amounts of marine-derived nutrients and pollutants from oceans to land by depositing guano and stomach oils to their nesting area, which often includes nearby freshwater ponds. Here...
Published in: | Environmental Science & Technology |
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Language: | English |
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2016
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10393/44920 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 |
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ftunivottawa:oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/44920 2023-06-11T04:08:17+02:00 Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment Cheng, Wenhan Sun, Liguang Kimpe, Linda E Mallory, Mark L Smol, John P Gallant, Lauren R Li, Jinping Blais, Jules M 2016 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10393/44920 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 en eng 0013-936X http://hdl.handle.net/10393/44920 doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Animals Arctic Regions Birds Canada Ecosystem Environmental Monitoring Fresh Water Ponds Sterols Article 2016 ftunivottawa https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 2023-05-13T22:59:39Z Seabirds are major vertebrates in the coastal ecosystems of the Canadian High Arctic, where they transport substantial amounts of marine-derived nutrients and pollutants from oceans to land by depositing guano and stomach oils to their nesting area, which often includes nearby freshwater ponds. Here we present novel indicators for evaluating the impact of seabirds on freshwater ecosystems. The ratio of cholesterol/(cholesterol + sitosterol) in pond sediments showed significant enrichment near a nesting colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and was significantly correlated with ornithogenic enrichment of sediment as determined by sedimentary δ(15)N. The sterol ratio was also correlated with several bioaccumulative persistent organic pollutants (POPs), suggesting its usefulness in tracking biovector enrichment of contaminants. Human-derived epicoprostanol was also analyzed in the sediments, and its relationship with an abandoned, prehistoric camp was recorded, suggesting its potential as a tracer of prehistoric human activities in the Arctic. Sterols and stanols preserved in sediments appear to be useful geochemical tools that will inform our understanding of migratory species and the presence of prehistoric human populations in the Arctic, and possibly other animal populations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Fulmarus glacialis uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) Arctic Canada Guano ENVELOPE(141.604,141.604,-66.775,-66.775) Environmental Science & Technology 50 17 9351 9360 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivottawa |
language |
English |
topic |
Animals Arctic Regions Birds Canada Ecosystem Environmental Monitoring Fresh Water Ponds Sterols |
spellingShingle |
Animals Arctic Regions Birds Canada Ecosystem Environmental Monitoring Fresh Water Ponds Sterols Cheng, Wenhan Sun, Liguang Kimpe, Linda E Mallory, Mark L Smol, John P Gallant, Lauren R Li, Jinping Blais, Jules M Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
topic_facet |
Animals Arctic Regions Birds Canada Ecosystem Environmental Monitoring Fresh Water Ponds Sterols |
description |
Seabirds are major vertebrates in the coastal ecosystems of the Canadian High Arctic, where they transport substantial amounts of marine-derived nutrients and pollutants from oceans to land by depositing guano and stomach oils to their nesting area, which often includes nearby freshwater ponds. Here we present novel indicators for evaluating the impact of seabirds on freshwater ecosystems. The ratio of cholesterol/(cholesterol + sitosterol) in pond sediments showed significant enrichment near a nesting colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and was significantly correlated with ornithogenic enrichment of sediment as determined by sedimentary δ(15)N. The sterol ratio was also correlated with several bioaccumulative persistent organic pollutants (POPs), suggesting its usefulness in tracking biovector enrichment of contaminants. Human-derived epicoprostanol was also analyzed in the sediments, and its relationship with an abandoned, prehistoric camp was recorded, suggesting its potential as a tracer of prehistoric human activities in the Arctic. Sterols and stanols preserved in sediments appear to be useful geochemical tools that will inform our understanding of migratory species and the presence of prehistoric human populations in the Arctic, and possibly other animal populations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cheng, Wenhan Sun, Liguang Kimpe, Linda E Mallory, Mark L Smol, John P Gallant, Lauren R Li, Jinping Blais, Jules M |
author_facet |
Cheng, Wenhan Sun, Liguang Kimpe, Linda E Mallory, Mark L Smol, John P Gallant, Lauren R Li, Jinping Blais, Jules M |
author_sort |
Cheng, Wenhan |
title |
Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
title_short |
Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
title_full |
Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
title_fullStr |
Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment |
title_sort |
sterols and stanols preserved in pond sediments track seabird biovectors in a high arctic environment |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10393/44920 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(141.604,141.604,-66.775,-66.775) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Guano |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Guano |
genre |
Arctic Fulmarus glacialis |
genre_facet |
Arctic Fulmarus glacialis |
op_relation |
0013-936X http://hdl.handle.net/10393/44920 doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 |
op_rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02767 |
container_title |
Environmental Science & Technology |
container_volume |
50 |
container_issue |
17 |
container_start_page |
9351 |
op_container_end_page |
9360 |
_version_ |
1768381483147329536 |