Abstract
There is limited information regarding biogeochemical pools and fluxes in maritime tundra ecosystems along the Antarctic Peninsula. To collect baseline information on biogeochemical processes in a tundra ecosystem dominated by two vascular plant species (Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica) at Biscoe Point off the coast of Anvers Island, we measured pools and fluxes of C and N in transplanted tundra microcosm cores, complemented with sampling of precipitation and surface runoff. Snow and snowmelt from the tundra collection site and soil leachates from the cores were enriched with N and dissolved organic carbon compared to precipitation and snowmelt samples collected at Palmer Station, indicating high loading of N and organic matter from the penguin colonies adjacent to the tundra site. Relatively high values of δ15N in the live and dead biomass of D. antarctica and C. quitensis (5.6–25.1‰) indicated an enrichment of N in this tundra ecosystem, possibly through N inputs from adjacent penguin colonies. Stepwise multiple linear regressions found that ecosystem respiration and gross primary production were best predicted by live biomass of D. antarctica, suggesting a disproportionately high contribution of D. antarctica to CO2 fluxes. The cores with higher δ15N and lower δ13C in the soil organic horizon exhibited higher CO2 fluxes. The results suggest that abundant N inputs from penguin colonies and the competitive balance between plant species might play a critical role in the response of tundra ecosystems along the Antarctic Peninsula to projected climate change.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bölter M, Kandeler E, Pieter SJ, Seppelt RD (2002) Heterotrophic microbes, microbial and enzymatic activity in Antarctic soils. In: Beyer L, Bölter M (eds) Geoecology of Antarctic ice-free coastal landscapes. Ecological studies, vol 154. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 189–214
Convey P (2001) Terrestrial ecosystem responses to climate changes in the Antarctic. In: Walther GR, Burga CA, Edwards PJ (eds) “Fingerprints” of climate change. Kluwer, New York, pp 17–42
Day TA, Ruhland CT, Grobe CW, Xiong F (1999) Growth and reproduction of Antarctic vascular plants in response to warming and UV-B radiation reductions in the field. Oecologia 119:24–35
Dierssen HM, Smith RC, Vernet M (2002) Glacial meltwater dynamics in coastal waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula. PNAS 99:1790–1795
Erskine PD, Bergstrom DM, Schmidt S, Stewart GR, Tweedie CE, Shaw JD (1998) Subantarctic Macquarie Island—a model ecosystem for studying animal-derived nitrogen sources using 15N natural abundance. Oecologia 117:187–193
Grobe CW, Ruhland CT, Day TA (1997) A new population of Colobanthus quitensis near Arthur Harbor, Antarctica: correlating recruitment with warmer summer temperatures. Arct Alp Res 29:217–221
Hall KJ, Walton DWH (1992) Rock weathering, soil development and colonization under a changing climate. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 338:269–277
Hobbie SE, Nadelhoffer KJ, Högberg P (2002) A synthesis: the role of nutrients as constraints on carbon balances in boreal and arctic regions. Plant Soil 242:163–170
Huiskes AHL, Boschker HTS, Lud D, Moerdijk-Poortvliet TCW (2006) Stable isotope ratios as a tool for assessing changes in carbon and nutrient sources in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems. Plant Ecol 182:79–86
Joergensen RG (1996) The fumigation-extraction method to estimate soil microbial biomass: calibration of the kEC value. Soil Biol Biochem 28:25–31
Kennedy AD (1995) Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem response to global environmental change. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 26:683–704
Leishman MR, Wild C (2001) Vegetation abundance and diversity in relation to soil nutrients and soil water content in Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica. Antarct Sci 13:126–134
Lindeboom HJ (1984) The nitrogen pathway in a penguin rookery. Ecology 65:269–277
MacDonald JA, Dise NB, Matzner E, Armbruster M, Gundersen P, Forsius M (2002) Nitrogen input together with ecosystem nitrogen enrichment predict nitrate leaching from European forests. Global Change Biol 8:1028–1033
Mizutani H, Wada E (1988) Nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in seabird rookeries and their ecological implications. Ecology 69:340–349
Quayle WC, Peck LS, Peat H, Ellis-Evans JC, Harrigan PR (2002) Extreme responses to climate change in Antarctic lakes. Science 295:645
Robinson SA, Wasley J, Tobin AK (2003) Living on the edge—plants and global change in continental and maritime Antarctica. Global Change Biol 9:1681–1717
Samsel GL, Parker BC (1972) Limnological investigations of the area of Anvers Island, Antarctica. Hydrobiologia 40:505–511
Shaver GR, Canadell J, Chapin FS, Gurevitch J, Harte J, Henry G, Ineson P, Jonasson S, Melillo J, Pitelka L, Rustad L (2000) Global warming and terrestrial ecosystems: a conceptual framework for analysis. BioScience 50:871–882
Smith RIL (1985) Nutrient cycling in relation to biological productivity in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 138–155
Smith RIL (1994) Vascular plants as bioindicators of regional warming in Antarctica. Oecologia 99:322–328
Smith RC, Ainley D, Baker K, Domack E, Emslie S, Fraser B, Kennett J, Laventer A, Mosely-Thompson E, Stammerjohn S, Vernet M (1999) Marine ecosystem sensitivity to climate change. Bioscience 49:393–404
Tatur A (2002) Ornithogenic ecosystems in the maritime Antarctic—formation, development and disintegration. In: Beyer L, Bölter M (eds) Geoecology of Antarctic ice-free coastal landscapes. ecological studies, vol 154. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 161–184
Turner J, Colwell SR, Harangozo S (1997) Variability in precipitation over the coastal western Antarctic Peninsula from synoptic observations. J Geophys Res 102:13999–14007
Vance ED, Brookes PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass C. Soil Biol Biochem 19:703–707
Vaughan DG, Marchall GJ, Connolley WM, King JC, Mulvaney R (2001) Devil in the detail. Science 293:1777–1779
Wada E, Shibata R, Torii T (1981) 15N abundance in Antarctica: origin of soil nitrogen and ecological implications. Nature 292:327–329
Wodehouse EB, Parker BC (1981) Atmospheric ammonia nitrogen: a potential source of nitrogen eutrophication of freshwater Antarctic ecosystems. In: Parker BC (ed) Terrestrial biology III. Antarctic research series 30. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, pp 155–167
Xiong FS, Ruhland CT, Day TA (1999) Photosynthetic temperature response of the Antarctic vascular plants Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica. Physiol Plant 106:276–286
Xiong FS, Mueller EC, Day TA (2000) Photosynthetic and respiratory acclimation and growth response of Antarctic vascular plants to contrasting temperature regimes. Am J Bot 87:700–710
Acknowledgements
We thank personnel at Palmer Station and Raytheon Polar Services Company for their administrative and logistical support. This work was supported by NSF grant OPP-0230579.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Park, JH., Day, T.A., Strauss, S. et al. Biogeochemical pools and fluxes of carbon and nitrogen in a maritime tundra near penguin colonies along the Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 30, 199–207 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0173-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0173-y