Abstract
Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3). In this paper, matrix-bound phosphine (MBP), gaseous phosphine fluxes and phosphorus fractions in the soils were investigated from a penguin colony, a seal colony and the adjacent animal-lacking tundra and background sites. The MBP levels (mean 200.3 ng kg−1) in penguin colony soils were much higher than those in seal colony soils, animal-lacking tundra soils and the background soils. Field PH3 flux observation and laboratory incubation experiments confirmed that penguin colony soils produced much higher PH3 emissions than seal colony soils and animal-lacking tundra soils. Overall high MBP levels and PH3 emissions were modulated by soil biogeochemical processes associated with penguin activities: sufficient supply of the nutrients phosphorus, nitrogen, and organic carbon from penguin guano, high soil bacterial abundance and phosphatase activity. It was proposed that organic or inorganic phosphorus compounds from penguin guano or seal excreta could be reduced to PH3 in the Antarctic soils through the bacterial activity. Our results indicated that penguin activity significantly increased soil phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution, thus played an important role in phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica.
Highlights
Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3)
Our results indicated that penguin activity significantly increased soil phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution, played an important role in phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica
Our results clearly showed that penguin colony soils had greater potential for matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) formation and PH3 emissions than seal colony and animallacking tundra soils
Summary
Most studies on phosphorus cycle in the natural environment focused on phosphates, with limited data available for the reduced phosphine (PH3). High MBP concentrations and phosphine emission rates have been preliminarily explored from penguin and seal colony soils[6,27] Such data are available only from very limited site level observations, and few studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of marine animal activities on soil MBP distribution patterns, phosphine emission rates and phosphorus bio-transportation in maritime Antarctica. The objectives of this study were (1) to explore the effects of penguin and seal activities on soil MBP levels, and gaseous phosphine production and emission in maritime Antarctica; (2) to investigate the phosphorus contribution of penguins and seals from sea to land; and (3) to discuss the potential formation mechanisms of phosphine in maritime Antarctic soils
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