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Ornithological Science
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Abstract
Abstract
Breeding seabirds, often nest at high densities and supply large amounts of marine-derived nutrients, such as nitrogen, in their feces into the ecosystems surrounding their breeding colonies. It has been well demonstrated that the nitrogen supplied by seabirds (seabird-N) into terrestrial ecosystems has a strong bottom-up effect on both producers and consumers. The seabird-N can reach into the surrounding marine ecosystems near the colony through multiple pathways including the surface run-off of rainwater or leaching by ground water. However, in marine ecosystems the bottom-up effects of seabird-N have been rarely documented. A few studies using stable isotope analyses have reported that seabird-N enhances the productivity of both phytoplankton and macro algae. There have been more limited studies documenting similar positive effects of seabird-N on marine consumers. Very little is known about spatio-temporal variations in the effects of the seabird-N on marine ecosystems. To understand the ecosystem functions of seabirds in marine nutrient cycling and the bottom-up effects of seabird-N in marine ecosystems, further research is necessary.
I am grateful to everyone who supported my early career, including my mentors Yutaka Watanuki, Yasunori Sakurai, Yasuaki Niizuma, Teruaki Hino, Chitoshi Mizota and Haruo Ogi, and my collaborators Hirotatsu Murano, Daniel D. Roby, Don Lyons and Yasuko Suzuki. Kazuki Kosugi, Yoshiko Murayama, Masahiko Sato, Rie Sato, Toru Nishijima, Kanako Nishijima, Shinya Okada, and Nobuaki Takahashi greatly supported my fieldwork on Rishiri Island. Members of the laboratory of Marine Ecology, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, and of the Laboratory of Environmental Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University have been a constant source of support and provided many useful comments on my research. I am grateful to the many colleagues and my family, especially Mami T Kazama, who have provided continual encouragement. I would also like to thank Mark Brazil, Scientific Editing Services, for assistance in the preparation of the final draft of the manuscript.
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