Seabirds provide inter-habitat connectivity by transporting vast quantities of nutrients from their pelagic feeding grounds to terrestrial and marine ecosystems via their nitrogen and phosphorous rich guano. However, it remains unclear whether seabird nutrients are cycling through many nearshore, temperate systems, such as United Kingdom (UK) rocky shores. Furthermore, it also remains unknown how seabird nutrient subsidies impact biodiversity, productivity, and recolonisation rates in UK rocky intertidal systems. Here, the impact of seabird nutrient subsidies to the Farne Islands, Northumberland, areas of high seabird densities during their breeding seasons, was compared to nearby low seabird density areas on the Northumberland coast. Estimated seabird derived nitrogen inputs and seabird densities were 420-1,025 and 949-2,279 times higher, respectively, on seabird islands than on the mainland. Seabird derived nutrient inputs led to substantially enriched nitrogen stable isotope (δ15N) values and total nitrogen content in terrestrial soil, plants, and lichen, and intertidal barnacles, and limpets, and higher δ15N values in macroalgae and turf algae. The seabird islands contained marginally greater algal species richness and higher densities of intertidal predators. However, other drivers could not be ruled out, such as nutrient inputs from mainland sources and marginally higher wave exposure at the mainland sites. No difference in limpet size, biomass, or abundance existed between the seabird islands and the mainland. On plots artificially cleared to simulate a disturbance event, barnacles recolonised faster on mainland sites. These findings provide evidence that seabird vectored pelagic nutrients are incorporated into terrestrial and intertidal ecosystems of UK islands, and therefore play an important role in facilitating ecosystem connectivity.

中文翻译：

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海鸟引导的中上层营养物质融入温带潮间带岩石海岸

海鸟通过富含氮和磷的鸟粪将大量营养物质从远洋觅食地运输到陆地和海洋生态系统，从而提供栖息地间的连通性。然而，目前尚不清楚海鸟的营养物质是否在许多近岸温带系统中循环，例如英国的岩石海岸。此外，海鸟营养补贴如何影响英国岩石潮间带系统的生物多样性、生产力和再殖民率仍然未知。在这里，将海鸟营养补贴对诺森伯兰郡法恩群岛（繁殖季节海鸟密度高的地区）的影响与诺森伯兰海岸附近海鸟密度低的地区进行了比较。据估计，海鸟岛上的海鸟氮输入量和海鸟密度分别是大陆的 420-1,025 倍和 949-2,279 倍。海鸟衍生的营养输入导致氮稳定同位素（δ15陆地土壤、植物、地衣、潮间带藤壶、帽贝中的 N) 值和总氮含量，以及更高的 δ15大型藻类和草坪藻类的 N 值。海鸟岛的藻类物种丰富度略高，潮间带捕食者的密度也更高。然而，不能排除其他驱动因素，例如大陆来源的养分输入以及大陆地点略高的波浪暴露。海鸟岛和大陆之间的帽贝大小、生物量或丰度没有差异。在人工清理以模拟骚乱事件的地块上，藤壶更快地在大陆上重新定居。这些发现提供了证据，表明海鸟携带的中上层营养物质已融入英国岛屿的陆地和潮间带生态系统，因此在促进生态系统连通性方面发挥着重要作用。