We found seabird colony effect being a paramount factor responsible for augmented growth of C. Therefore, we studied variability of polar scurvygrass Cochlearia groe nlandica individual biomass and leaf width along a seabird influenced gradient determining environmental conditions for vegetation in south-west Spitsbergen. Nevertheless, there are very few detailed quantitative studies of any specific plant species responses to ornithogenic manuring. In the resource-limited Arctic environment, vegetation developing near seabird colonies is exceptionally luxuriant. groenlandica may be a useful instrument in detecting habitat condition changes, for instance resulting from climate change. Our study supports the hypothesis that seabirds have fundamental importance for vegetation growth in poor Arctic environment.
groenlandica individual traits significantly decreased with distance from the colony, soil water and organic matter content and increased with guano deposition, soil δġ5N, conductivity, acidity and nitrate, phosphate and potassium ion content. Its abundance and size declined towards the coast. The species predominated close to the colony and reached the highest mean values of individual biomass (1.4 g) and leaf width (26.6 mm) 10 m below the colony. Nlandica individual biomass and leaf width along a seabird influenced gradient determining environmental conditions for vegetation in south-west Spitsbergen. Therefore, we studied variability of polar scurvygrass Cochlearia groe Auklets thereby provide an example of disturbance-adapted, early successional species that self-inhibit if their habitat is not regularly disturbed. We conclude that least and crested auklets require episodic disturbance (provided by volcanoes, earthquakes, and rock fall deposits) to maintain access to nest crevices. We propose a conceptual model describing the interaction of geological and biological processes that influence auklet demography. Biological processes there are slower and vegetation communities not as developed. They occur in more persistent talus slope habitats maintained by weathering, slumping, frost heaving, and tumbling. In contrast, colonies in the northern Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk show no indication of habitat limitation. We propose that in the south, volcanic activity is required to maintain auklet populations. The largest colonies there of least and crested auklets exist on lava slopes <100 years old.
Colonization of newly created volcanic habitats suggests that auklets are habitat-limited in the southern range. cristatella) auklet colonies in the southern part of their range (Aleutian and Kuril Islands) are becoming overgrown by vegetation, which is fertilized by the auklets, making rock crevices unavailable for breeding. A synergy between habitat type and collection site was identified in the case of ornithochorous species.Īuklets (Aethia spp.) are small seabirds, endemic to the North Pacific Ocean, that nest in rock crevices on islands in Alaska and Russia. Rooks contributed to a rise in the mean number of ruderal species and a fall in the mean number of meadow species. Rook nesting caused a fall in the overall number of plant species in the poor habitats, and a corresponding rise in the fertile habitats. A varied influence of Rook colonies on plant species diversity was observed, depending on habitat type. The presence of Rook colonies contributed to increased humidity and acidity of the soil and a higher biogenic element content. Two-way ANOVA showed that the habitats significantly differed in most of soil parameters. In order to assess the effect of this species on poor and fertile habitats, we analysed biogenic element concentrations and soil acidity, and investigated the taxonomic representation of plants under the nests and at control sites without nests. Colony species that modify soil characteristics at their nesting sites include the Rook Corvus frugilegus. The functioning of nesting colonies of birds can significantly affect the flora and the soil.