link.springer.com

Utilization of nitrogen derived from seabird guano by terrestrial and marine plants at St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska - Marine Biology

  • ️Flint, M. V.
  • ️Wed Apr 01 1998

Abstract

Dense, conspicuous colonies of seabirds and pinnipeds breed on ocean islands throughout the world. Such colonies have been shown to have local impacts on prey populations, but whether or not they affect nutrient cycling has been debated. We determined the natural abundance levels of the stable isotopes (C and N) of primary producers, seabirds and other consumers at and near St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, in summer 1993. Marine primary producers (phytoplankton, as particulate organic matter, and kelp) collected near seabird colonies were ca. 6.5‰ enriched in both 15N and 13C relative to those collected further from shore. Terrestrial plants collected near the seabird colonies were enriched in 15N (δ15N ca. 22‰) compared with conspecifics collected away from the colonies (δ15N ca. 11‰). The trend towards higher δ15N values in marine and terrestrial plants near bird colonies is consistent with their uptake of ornithogenic N. This 15N-enrichment of plants using ornithogenic N can be attributed to a combination of two processes: trophic enrichment, and volatilization of ammonia produced during degradation of terrestrially deposited guano. Seabird breeding colonies at St. Paul Island appear to be significant sources of recycled nitrogen for terrestrial plants in the vicinity of colonies and for phytoplankton in the nearshore zone.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 71 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-8521, USA, , , , , , US

    S. C. Wainright & C. Kerr

  2. Wildlife Technology Program, Penn State University, DuBois, Pennsylvania 15801, USA, , , , , , US

    J. C. Haney

  3. Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Vertebrates, VNII Priroda (All-Russia Institute for Nature Protection), P.O. Vilar, Znamenskoye-Sadki, Moscow 113628, Russian Federation, , , , , , RU

    A. N. Golovkin

  4. Department of Plankton Ecology, Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117218, Russian Federation, , , , , , RU

    M. V. Flint

Authors

  1. S. C. Wainright

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. C. Haney

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. Kerr

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. N. Golovkin

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. V. Flint

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Received: 4 July 1997 / Accepted: 20 November 1997

About this article

Cite this article

Wainright, S., Haney, J., Kerr, C. et al. Utilization of nitrogen derived from seabird guano by terrestrial and marine plants at St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea, Alaska. Marine Biology 131, 63–71 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050297

Download citation

  • Issue Date: April 1998

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270050297

Keywords