Seabird nutrient subsidies enrich mangrove ecosystems and are exported to nearby coastal habitats.

ABSTRACT: Eutrophication by human-derived nutrient enrichment is a major threat to mangroves, impacting productivity, ecological functions, resilience, and ecosystem services. Natural mangrove nutrient enrichment processes, however, remain largely uninvestigated. Mobile consumers such as seabirds are important vectors of cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies to islands but how they influence mangrove ecosystems is poorly known. We assessed the contribution, uptake, cycling, and transfer of nutrients from seabird colonies in remote mangrove systems free of human stressors. We found that nutrients from seabird guano enrich mangrove plants, reduce nutrient limitations, enhance mangrove invertebrate food webs, and are exported to nearby coastal habitats through tidal flow. We show that seabird nutrient sub

SUBMITTER: Appoo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10952037 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature