Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2024-FULL - Flipbook - Page 38
Bertarelli Foundation
Science Impact
In 2024 scientists from the marine science programme
published 39 papers, bringing the total number of published
papers to 213 since 2017. Of the 39, five were published in
journals with an “excellent” impact factor (>10) and a further
24 in journals with a “good” impact factor (>3).
Seabird Nutrient Subsidies
Enrich Mangrove Ecosystems
and are Exported to Nearby
Coastal Habitats
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Appoo, J., Bunbury, N., Jaquemet, S., Graham, N.A.J.
(2024). iScience https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109404
Mangrove forests occupy the interface between land and
sea, where they play critical roles in sustaining biodiversity
and maintaining ecological functions and services, such
as protecting against coastal erosion and storing large
amounts of carbon. Very little research has been done to
understand natural mangrove nutrient enrichment, with
the focus usually on the negative effects of excessive,
human-derived nutrients. This study assessed the
contribution, uptake, and transfer of seabird-derived
nutrients in remote mangrove habitats on Aldabra Atoll,
in the southern Seychelles, one of the largest mangrovenesting seabird colonies in the Indian Ocean. It found
that nutrients from seabird guano make a substantial
contribution to mangroves: They are transferred and are
assimilated by mangroves, reduce nutrient limitations, are
passed on to mangrove invertebrates, and are exported to
nearby coastal habitats through tidal flow. This improves
the health of mangroves and adjacent coastal habitats,
highlighting the importance of conserving seabirds that in
turn help vulnerable coastal habitats like mangroves.
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