Seabird-Driven Shifts In Arctic Pond Ecosystems

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 22 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Seabirds are sensitive bellwethers of global environmental change, yet census data are rare. Here, we demonstrate that seabird population dynamics can be reconstructed over long-term timescales.

Using dated pond sediments, we show that a colony of Arctic seabirds has experienced climate-induced increases in population in recent decades. We then document increasing concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and cadmium (Cd) in sediment cores that are linked to biotransport by seabirds.

Once birds transport these marine-derived contaminants to terrestrial ecosystems, they are further processed and biomagnified via the terrestrial food web, which may include humans. As seabirds are common on every continent, this is surely a global phenomenon.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

www.publishing.royalsociety.org/proceedingsb

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