Seabirds supply nitrogen to reefbuilding corals on remote Pacific islets

Type Article
Date 2017-06
Language English
Author(s) Lorrain Anne1, Houlbreque Fanny2, Benzoni Francesca2, 3, Barjon Lucie1, Tremblay-Boyer Laura4, Menkes Christophe5, Gillikin David P.6, Payri Claude2, Jourdan Herve7, Boussarie Germain2, Verheyden Anouk6, Vidal Eric7
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, IRD, CNRS, LEMAR UMR UBO 6539, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia.
2 : IRD, ENTROPIE UMR9220, Lab Excellence CORAIL, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia.
3 : Univ Milano Bicocca, Dept Biotechnol & Biosci, Piazza Sci 2, I-20126 Milan, Italy.
4 : Pacific Community, Ocean Fisheries Programme, BP D5, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia.
5 : Univ Paris 06, Sorbonne Univ, UPMC, IRD,CNRS,MNHN,LOCEAN UMR 7159, BP A5, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia.
6 : Union Coll, Dept Geol, 807 Union St, Schenectady, NY 12308 USA.
7 : Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Univ, Inst Mediterraneen Biodiversite & Ecol Marine & C, CNRS,IRD,Ctr IRD Noumea, BP A5, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia.
Source Scientific Reports (2045-2322) (Nature Publishing Group), 2017-06 , Vol. 7 , N. 3721 , P. 1-11
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-03781-y
WOS© Times Cited 49
Abstract

Seabirds concentrate nutrients from large marine areas on their nesting islands playing an important ecological role in nutrient transfer between marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Here we investigate the role of guano on corals reefs across scales by analyzing the stable nitrogen isotopic (delta N-15) values of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis on fringing reefs around two Pacific remote islets with large seabird colonies. Marine stations closest to the seabird colonies had higher nitrate + nitrite concentrations compared to more distant stations. Coral and zooxanthellae delta N-15 values were also higher at these sites, suggesting that guano-derived nitrogen is assimilated into corals and contributes to their nitrogen requirements. The spatial extent of guano influence was however restricted to a local scale. Our results demonstrate that seabird-derived nutrients not only spread across the terrestrial ecosystem, but also affect components of the adjacent marine ecosystem. Further studies are now needed to assess if this nutrient input has a positive or negative effect for corals. Such studies on remote islets also open fresh perspectives to understand how nutrients affect coral reefs isolated from other anthropogenic stressors.

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Lorrain Anne, Houlbreque Fanny, Benzoni Francesca, Barjon Lucie, Tremblay-Boyer Laura, Menkes Christophe, Gillikin David P., Payri Claude, Jourdan Herve, Boussarie Germain, Verheyden Anouk, Vidal Eric (2017). Seabirds supply nitrogen to reefbuilding corals on remote Pacific islets. Scientific Reports, 7(3721), 1-11. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03781-y , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00391/50239/