Phosphorus in seagull colonies and the effect on the habitats. The case of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) in the Atlantic Islands National Park (Galicia-NW Spain)

Otero, Xosé Luís; Tejada, Olga; Martín-Pastor, Manuel; Peña, S. De La; Ferreira, Tiago Osório; Pérez‐Alberti, Augusto

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.013

Cited by 51 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Proteins are also excreted by seabirds in lower proportions (Szpak et al, 2012). The major form of excreted phosphorus in guano is phosphate but only a reduced proportion is soluble (Smith and Johnson, 1995;Otero et al, 2015). Therefore, major chemical compounds present in the extracts of guano are expected to be uric acid, proteins, ammonia and phosphate (Smith and Johnson, 1995), so it is likely that the drop in toxicity observed for Cu and Pb may !…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The guano is mainly rich in nutrients (N and P) so its inputs alter the surrounding environment. Several works have shown an increase in the nutrient content of soils (Bukacinski et al, 1994;Otero et al, 2015) but also in the adjacent coastal waters. This enrichment is associated to direct deposition (Kolb et al, 2010) or to rain and run-off events, sea spray or waves that wash guano from bird colonies into the sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…0.5%) (Szpak et al, 2012) . Concerning phosphorus, it represents from 0.1 to 10% of the fresh weight and consists of about 50 to 70% of phosphate (Smith and Johnson, 1995;Otero et al, 2015). Due to bioaccumulation, seabirds usually present high levels of metals and other contaminants, and their concentrations can increase in !…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toxicity of seabird guano to sea urchin embryos and interaction with Cu and Pb

Rial¹,

Santos-Echeandía

Álvarez‐Salgado

et al. 2016

Chemosphere

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Guano is an important source of marine-derived nutrients to seabird nesting areas. Seabirds usually present high levels of metals and other contaminants because the bioaccumulation processes and biotic depositions can increase the concentration of pollutants in the receiving environments. The objectives of this study were to investigate: the toxicity of seabird guano and the joint toxicity of guano, Cu and Pb by using the sea urchin embryo-larval bioassay. In a first experiment, aqueous extracts of guano were prepared at two loading rates (0.462 and 1.952 g L(-1)) and toxicity to sea-urchin embryos was tested. Toxicity was low and not dependent of the load of guano used (EC50 0.42 ± 0.03 g L(-1)). Trace metal concentrations were also low either in guano or in aqueous extracts of guano and the toxicity of extracts were apparently related to dissolved organic matter. In a second experiment, the toxicity of Cu-Pb mixtures in artificial seawater and in extracts of guano (at two loadings: 0.015 and 0.073 g L(-1)), was tested. According to individual fittings, Cu added to extracts of guano showed less toxicity than when dissolved in artificial seawater. The response surfaces obtained for mixtures of Cu and Pb in artificial seawater, and in 0.015 g L(-1) and 0.073 g L(-1) of guano, were better described by Independent Action model adapted to describe antagonism, than by the other proposed models. This implied accepting that EC50 for Cu and Pb increased with the load of guano and with a greater interaction for Cu than for Pb.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toxicity of seabird guano to sea urchin embryos and interaction with Cu and Pb

Rial¹,

Santos-Echeandía

Álvarez‐Salgado

et al. 2016

Chemosphere

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“…A historical reconstruction of the system was recently conducted using marine records [37]. Other studies have investigated the influence of wildlife on the ecosystems of the archipelago [38][39][40], mainly focusing on the impacts of seagull colonies on the soil and vegetation. The aim of this study is to show the more recent system evolution as well as applying new techniques for calculating the volumetric variations experienced in recent years.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Evolution (1956–2017) of Rodas Beach on the Cíes Islands, Galicia, NW Spain

Gómez‐Pazo

Pérez‐Alberti

Pérez

2019

JMSE

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Sedimentary coastal areas change rapidly and are economically and environmentally important. This research focuses on determining the extent to which natural dynamics and human activity have contributed to visible changes on Rodas, Cíes Islands in southwestern Galicia (NW Spain). The number of visitors to the islands has increased in recent years, and the port infrastructure has therefore been expanded. Previously, this zone experimented with important sand extraction phases. These changes have influenced the ecosystem directly by modifying the sedimentary behavior and indirectly by promoting even greater numbers of visitors to the area. Aerial images and orthophotographs of the study zone were examined to identify changes that have taken place over the last sixty-one years (1956–2017). Changes in the position of the shoreline, defined as the boundary of the dune vegetation, were mapped at different times between 1956 and 2017. Changes in the shoreline were quantified using GIS (Geographic Information System) technology and Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software. The findings revealed that the system regressed by more than 30 m between 1956 and 1981, in part as a result of sand extraction. We also identified different erosion/accretion phases that occurred before the reformation of the Rodas dock in 2010. The system is currently undergoing important changes, especially in the northern area, with a regression of 14.14 m in the last seven years. In this context, LiDAR analysis from 2010 and 2015 using Geomorphic Change Detection (GCD) tools allowed variations in the dune system to be verified. The elevation in the study zone increased in 83% of the area, mainly in the frontal dune and close to the winter inlet (north sector). However, the variations were very small.

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“…, Otero et al. ). Such sites are distinctive in several ways, including their existing vegetation, a depauperate terrestrial vertebrate fauna, and the marine source (and thus, chemical composition) of the nutrients transferred to these terrestrial habitats (Vidal et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Biotic interactions mediate the influence of bird colonies on vegetation and soil chemistry at aggregation sites

Natusch

Lyons²,

Brown

et al. 2017

Ecology

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Colonial-nesting organisms can strongly alter the chemical and biotic conditions around their aggregation sites, with cascading impacts on other components of the ecosystem. In tropical Australia, Metallic Starlings (Aplonis metallica) nest in large colonies far above the forest canopy, in emergent trees. The ground beneath those trees is open, in stark contrast to the dense foliage all around. We surveyed the areas beneath 27 colony trees (and nearby randomly chosen trees lacking bird colonies) to quantify the birds' impacts on soil and vegetation characteristics, and to test alternative hypotheses about the proximate mechanisms responsible for the lack of live vegetation beneath colony trees. Nutrient levels were greatly elevated beneath colony trees (especially, those with larger colonies), potentially reaching levels toxic to older trees. However, seedlings thrived in the soil from beneath colony trees. The primary mechanism generating open areas beneath colony trees is disturbance by scavengers (feral pigs and native Turkeys) that are attracted in vast numbers to these nutrient hotspots. Seedlings flourished within exclosures inaccessible to vertebrate herbivores, but were rapidly consumed if unprotected. Our results contrast with previous studies of colonies of seabirds on remote islands, where a lack of large terrestrial herbivores results in bird colonies encouraging rather than eliminating vegetation in areas close to the nesting site. In our continental study system, scavengers may rapidly dilute the spatial heterogeneity generated by the massive nutrient subsidy from bird colonies.

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Phosphorus in seagull colonies and the effect on the habitats. The case of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) in the Atlantic Islands National Park (Galicia-NW Spain)

Cited by 51 publications

References 74 publications

Toxicity of seabird guano to sea urchin embryos and interaction with Cu and Pb

Toxicity of seabird guano to sea urchin embryos and interaction with Cu and Pb

Recent Evolution (1956–2017) of Rodas Beach on the Cíes Islands, Galicia, NW Spain

Biotic interactions mediate the influence of bird colonies on vegetation and soil chemistry at aggregation sites

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