10.6084/m9.figshare.4620610.v1
Ivan González-Bergonzoni
Ivan
González-Bergonzoni
Kasper L. Johansen
Kasper L.
Johansen
Anders Mosbech
Anders
Mosbech
Frank Landkildehus
Frank
Landkildehus
Erik Jeppesen
Erik
Jeppesen
Thomas A. Davidson
Thomas A.
Davidson
R script Gonzalez Bergonzoni from Small birds, big effects: the little auk (<i>Alle alle</i>) transforms high Arctic ecosystems
The Royal Society
2017
marine-derived nutrients
nutrient subsidies
stable isotopes
arctic food webs
ecosystem engineer
seabird colonies
2017-02-04 05:32:15
Dataset
https://rs.figshare.com/articles/dataset/R_script_Gonzalez_Bergonzoni_from_Small_birds_big_effects_the_little_auk_i_Alle_alle_i_transforms_high_Arctic_ecosystems/4620610
In some arctic areas, marine-derived nutrients (MDN) resulting from fish migrations fuel freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, increasing primary production and biodiversity. Less is known, however, about the role of seabird-MDN in shaping ecosystems. Here, we examine how the most abundant seabird in the North Atlantic, the little auk (<i>Alle alle</i>), alters freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems around the North Water Polynya (NOW) in Greenland. We compare stable isotope ratios (<i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N and <i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C) of freshwater and terrestrial biota, terrestrial vegetation indices and physical–chemical properties, productivity and community structure of fresh waters in catchments with and without little auk colonies. The presence of colonies profoundly alters freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems by providing nutrients and massively enhancing primary production. Based on elevated <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N in MDN, we estimate that MDN fuels more than 85% of terrestrial and aquatic biomass in bird influenced systems. Furthermore, by using different proxies of bird impact (colony distance, algal <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N) it is possible to identify a gradient in ecosystem response to increasing bird impact. Little auk impact acidifies the freshwater systems, reducing taxonomic richness of macroinvertebrates and truncating food webs. These results demonstrate that the little auk acts as an ecosystem engineer, transforming ecosystems across a vast region of Northwest Greenland.