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From sea to land: assessment of the bio-transport of phosphorus by penguins in Antarctica

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Abstract

In Antarctica, the marine ecosystem is dynamically interrelated with the terrestrial ecosystem. An example of the link between these two ecosystems is the biogeochemical cycle of phosphorus. Biovectors, such as penguins, transport phosphorus from sea to land, play a key role in this cycle. In this paper, we selected three colonies of penguins, the most important seabirds in Antarctica, and computed the annual quantity of phosphorus transferred from sea to land by these birds. Our results show that adult penguins from colonies at Ardley Island, the Vestfold Hills, and Ross Island could transfer phosphorus in the form of guano at up to 12 349, 167 036, and 97 841 kg/a, respectively, over their breeding period. These quantities are equivalent to an annual input of 3.96×109–1.63×1010 kg of seawater to the land of Antarctica. Finally, we discuss the impact of phosphorus on the ice-free areas of the Antarctica.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Xianyan Qin  (秦先燕), Liguang Sun  (孙立广), Tao Huang  (黄涛), Wen Huang  (黄温) & Zhouqing Xie  (谢周清)

  2. Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1N 6N5

    Jules M. Blais

  3. Advanced Management Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China

    Yuhong Wang  (王玉宏)

  4. Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Wen Huang  (黄温)

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  1. Xianyan Qin  (秦先燕)
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  2. Liguang Sun  (孙立广)
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  6. Wen Huang  (黄温)
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  7. Zhouqing Xie  (谢周清)
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Correspondence to Liguang Sun  (孙立广).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 40730107, 41106162), the Chinese Polar Environment Comprehensive Investigation and Assessment Programs (Nos. CHINARE 2014-04-01, CHINARE 2014-02-01, CHINARE 2014-04-04), and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20103402110023). The samples in this study were provided by the BIRDS-Sediment system

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Qin, X., Sun, L., Blais, J.M. et al. From sea to land: assessment of the bio-transport of phosphorus by penguins in Antarctica. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 32, 148–154 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3115-5

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