Metal Concentrations in Shearwater Guano and Island Ecosystem Components

Research from Lord Howe Island measures concentrations of six metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb) in Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes) guano, soil, terrestrial flora, and primary consumers. The data likely contains measurements from shearwater colonies, control sites, and formerly occupied areas to assess bioaccumulation. Findings indicate seabirds transport marine-derived contaminants, with guano concentrations higher than in other Procellariiformes, potentially linked to plastic ingestion.

Use Cases

• Assessing bioaccumulation of trace elements from guano into soil and primary consumers based on measured metal concentrations.
• Comparing contaminant levels in active seabird colonies versus control and formerly occupied sites using soil sample data.
• Investigating the link between plastic ingestion by seabirds and elevated contaminant loads in guano.
• Modeling the transport of marine-derived nutrients and pollutants to island terrestrial environments.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, ecologically important species (Flesh-footed Shearwater) and location (Lord Howe Island).
• Measures a defined set of six contaminants (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb) across multiple environmental matrices (guano, soil, flora, consumers).
• Uses a comparative ecological approach with control sites and formerly occupied areas.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing: exact row count, specific column names, data collection time range, and license information are unknown.
• The dataset's availability is uncertain as file formats are listed but specific data file details are not provided.
• Relies on inference for data structure; the actual tabular schema is not explicitly described.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field sampling and laboratory analysis of environmental samples (guano, soil, flora, primary consumers).

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-07-22 according to one source, though this is a future date which may indicate a metadata error.

Geography

Lord Howe Island