Bioenrichment of trace elements in a series of ponds near a northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) colony at Cape Vera, Devon Island

Abstract

Seabirds are an important link between their marine feeding areas and their terrestrial breeding environments, transporting both marine-derived nutrients and contaminants and then depositing them on land in their guano. In this study, the impact of a large northern fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis ) colony on the water chemistry of 26 nearby ponds spanning a gradient of seabird influence was investigated at Cape Vera, Devon Island, in the Canadian High Arctic. The presence of the fulmar colony has led to nutrient and trace element enrichment in the ponds, as evidenced by the close association among As, Cd, Co, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, and Sr and the ornithogenic gradient. The ponds most affected by the fulmar colony were characterized by increased primary production, high organic carbon concentrations, and elevated pH — conditions favorable for the in situ removal of metals from the water column. Despite this, the highest trace element concentrations were observed in the seabird-influenced ponds, suggesting that these elements have undergone biotransport.