Seabirds as nutrient pumps of pelagic food webs

forthcoming

Seabirds are vectors of nutrients and can drastically change the conditions of their habitat through guano, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. Guano functions as a potent fertilizer and influences primary producers by conditioning their abundance, biodiversity, and fitness. As part of a phenomenon estimated to be comparable in magnitude to other major biogeochemical cycles, seabirds become the most influential link in the places where they form their colonies. The objective of this project is to investigate the impact and importance of seabirds as pumps of primary productivity in the adjacent marine food webs of their colonies, and its implications to conservation and management of the oceans. To achieve this goal, I will adapt and apply a state-of-the-art method, Ecopath with Ecosim, developed to characterize food webs, in an innovative context: to describe the connectivity of nutrients between ecosystems by seabirds. I will estimate and compare the nutrient contribution by seabirds in subtropical and temperate marine environments surrounding their colonies and the spatial and seasonal extent of its influence in the marine food web; understand the impact of changes in seabird populations on the marine food web; and model impacts of global changes on the food web of key seabird foraging areas according to different ‘what-if’ climate and anthropogenic scenarios. I will do a secondment at Birdlife International with the aim to discuss approaches to this project, pass on the knowledge gained, acquire new perspectives and approaches to seabird research and conservation, and discuss the impact of this line of research for seabird conservation in the North Atlantic. The MSCA will prepare me for the next step in my career and will act as a springboard that will expand the opportunities of positions and projects to which I can apply, while being more competitive. As well as the possibilities of me getting a permanent position and lead a research group, as it is my goal.