Variability of polar scurvygrass Cochlearia groenlandica individual traits along a seabird influenced gradient across Spitsbergen tundra

Autor: Lech Stempniewicz, Adrian Zwolicki, Lech Iliszko, Katarzyna Zmudczyńska-Skarbek, Mateusz Barcikowski
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: Polar Biology. 36:1659-1669
ISSN: 1432-2056
0722-4060
DOI: 10.1007/s00300-013-1385-6
Popis: In the resource-limited Arctic environment, vegetation developing near seabird colonies is exception- ally luxuriant. Nevertheless, there are very few detailed quantitative studies of any specific plant species responses to ornithogenic manuring. Therefore, we studied variability of polar scurvygrass Cochlearia groenlandica individual biomass and leaf width along a seabird influenced gradient determining environmental conditions for vegetation in south-west Spitsbergen. We found seabird colony effect being a paramount factor responsible for augmented growth of C. groenlandica. 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. Its abundance and size declined towards the coast. Both C. groenlandica individual traits signifi- cantly decreased with distance from the colony, soil water and organic matter content and increased with guano deposition, soil d 15 N, conductivity, acidity and nitrate, phosphate and potassium ion content. Our study supports the hypothesis that seabirds have fundamental importance for vegetation growth in poor Arctic environment. Highly plastic species such as C. groenlandica may be a useful instrument in detecting habitat condition changes, for instance resulting from climate change.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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