Abstract
We report on the perceived impact of bird faeces as an agent of organic matter transfer on the density and species richness of the Chironomidae in the lakes of the Bolshoy Aynov island (Barents Sea, Northern Russia). In total we recorded 15 species of Chironomidae. Highest species richness and specimen numbers were recorded in Lake Severnoe, closest to the large bird colony.
Highlights
Sea bird manure is an important source of nutrient transfer from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial (Ellis et al 2006)
We report on the perceived impact of bird faeces as an agent of organic matter transfer on the density and species richness of the Chironomidae in the lakes of the Bolshoy Aynov island (Barents Sea, Northern Russia)
Highest species richness and specimen numbers were recorded in Lake Severnoe, closest to the large bird colony
Summary
Sea bird manure is an important source of nutrient transfer from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial (Ellis et al 2006). Like the maritime Antarctic, high Arctic and northern Europe, such ornithogenic landscapes are common and important for the functioning of the coastal and inland freshwater ecosystems (Tatur 2002). In this short communication, we will examine the Chironomidae communities in several small lakes of the Bolshoi Ainu Island in the secluded Ainu archipelago in the Barents Sea, close to Murmansk, Russia. This island is an important sea bird sanctuary, inhabited by large colonies of puffins, cormorants and little gulls (Khleboslov et al 2005); we hypothesized that this site would be a suitable place to study possible bird colonies impact on freshwater Chironomidae species richness and density
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