Penguins significantly increased phosphine formation and phosphorus contribution in maritime Antarctic soils.
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.
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei City, Anhui Province 230026, P. R China.
Renbin
R
Zhu
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei City, Anhui Province 230026, P. R China.
Qing
Q
Wang
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei City, Anhui Province 230026, P. R China.
Wei
W
Ding
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei City, Anhui Province 230026, P. R China.
Can
C
Wang
State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, P. R China.
Lijun
L
Hou
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei City, Anhui Province 230026, P. R China.
Dawei
D
Ma
D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D005843:Geography; D010720:Phosphines / Q000737:chemistry*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D046429:Spheniscidae
D010720:Phosphines; D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus; C044646:phosphine