P and trace metal contents in biomaterials, soils, sediments and plants in colony of red-footed booby (Sula sula) in the Dongdao Island of South China Sea.
Concentrations of P and trace metals Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb and Hg in the faeces, bones, eggshells and feathers of seabirds and in the plants, soils and sediments with and without seabird influence on Dongdao Island, South China Sea, were determined and analyzed. Among the seabird biomaterials, the levels of P, Zn, Cu and Cd are the highest in the droppings and several times those in other materials; the Hg concentration is the highest in the feathers; and the Pb content is comparable among these biomaterials. These marked differences indicate different intake-bioaccumulation-elimination pathways for different trace metals. The levels of P, Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg in the plant, soil and sediment samples with the influence of seabird droppings are significantly higher than those in the samples without, and they are significantly correlated with each other. Thus, P, Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg are very likely to have a common source-predominantly bird guano-and the faeces of red-footed booby is an important vector for the flux of nutrient phosphorus and trace metals Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg from marine to island ecosystems on Dongdao Island.
Liu
Xiaodong
X
Institute of Polar Environment, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China.
Zhao
Sanping
S
Sun
Liguang
L
Yin
Xuebin
X
Xie
Zhouqin
Z
Honghao
Luo
L
Wang
Yuhong
Y
D000825:Animal Structures / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000254:growth & development*; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*
D012987:Soil; D014131:Trace Elements; D010758:Phosphorus