Data and code for: Decadal change in seabird-driven isotopes on islands with differing invasion histories
Invasive mammal eradications are commonplace in island conservation. However, post-eradication monitoring beyond the confirmation of target species removal is rarer. Seabirds are ecosystem engineers on islands and are negatively affected by invasive mammals. Following an invasive mammal eradication, the recovery of seabird populations can be necessary for wider ecosystem recovery. Seabirds fertilise islands with isotopically heavy nitrogen, which means nitrogen stable isotope analysis (δ15N) could provide a useful means for assessing corresponding change in ecosystem function. We quantified decadal changes in δ15N on eight temperate New Zealand islands subject in pairs to distinct mammal invasion and seabird restoration histories: invaded, never-invaded, invader-eradicated and undergoing active seabird restoration. First, we investigated long-term changes in δ15N values on individual islands. Second, we used a space for time analysis to determine if δ15N levels on islands from which invaders had been removed eventually recovered to values typical of never-invaded islands. On each island soil, plants (Coprosma repens, C. robust and Myrsine australis) and spiders (Porrhothelidae) were sampled in 2006/07 and 2022 allowing δ15N change on individual islands over 16 years to be assessed. Combined, the samples from invader-eradicated islands provided a 7 – 32 year post-eradication dataset. Change in δ15N was only detected on one island across the study period, following the unexpected recolonisation of seabirds to an invaded island. Invader-eradicated islands generally had higher δ15N values than invaded islands however, they were still lower than never-invaded islands and there was no trend in δ15N with time since eradication. This, and the measurable increase in δ15N following seabird recolonisation on one island, may suggest that δ15N change occurs rapidly following invader-eradication, but then slows, with δ15N values staying relatively constant in the time period studied here. Isotope and seabird population studies need to be coupled to ascertain if plateauing in δ15N reflects a slowing of seabird population growth and subsequent basal nutrient input, or if the baseline nutrients are entering the ecosystem but then not propagating up the food web.
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Identification info
- Date (Publication)
- 2024-08-27T00:00:00
Resource provider
Principal investigator
- Status
- Completed
Point of contact
- Topic category
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- Biota
Extent
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Temporal extent
- Time period
- 2006-10-01 2022-04-30
- Maintenance and update frequency
- Not planned
- Keywords (Theme)
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- seabirds
- Marlborough Sounds
- Global Change Master Directory Earth Science Keywords, Version 8.5
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- EARTH SCIENCE | BIOSPHERE | ECOSYSTEMS | TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS | ISLANDS
- EARTH SCIENCE | BIOSPHERE | ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS | COMMUNITY DYNAMICS | INVASIVE SPECIES
- EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | ICE CORE RECORDS | ISOTOPES | NITROGEN ISOTOPES
- EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | BIOLOGICAL RECORDS | TREE RINGS | ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS
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- Use limitation
- Data, products and services from IMAS are provided "as is" without any warranty as to fitness for a particular purpose.
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- Please contact the authors prior to use
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- Other constraints
- This dataset is the intellectual property of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) through the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
Resource constraints
- Linkage
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https://licensebuttons.net/l/by/4.0/88x31.png
License Graphic
- Title
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
- Alternate title
- CC-BY
- Edition
- 4.0
- Website
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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
License Text
- Other constraints
- Cite data as: Pascoe, P., & Jones, H. (2024). Data and code for: Decadal change in seabird-driven isotopes on islands with differing invasion histories [Data set]. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. https://doi.org/10.25959/VDN6-R115
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Content Information
- Content type
- Physical measurement
Distribution Information
- Distribution format
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CSV, Rmd
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CSV, Rmd
- OnLine resource
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DATA ACCESS - browse and download data files and R-Markdown
Resource lineage
- Statement
- We selected eight geographically proximate and environmentally similar islands in Cook Strait, New Zealand to investigate long-term changes in nitrogen stable isotopes levels across islands with different restoration treatments: never-invaded islands - Takapourewa/Stephens and Kuru Pongi/ Middle Trio, invaded islands - Moutiti/Victory and Tawhitinui, eradicated islands - Wakaterepapanui and Nukuwaiata, and actively seabird restored islands - Te Hoiere/Maud and Mana. Each island was originally sampled for a stable isotope study in 2006/07 by Jones (2010b) and we re-visited each island in 2022 for this study. Soil, plant (taupata - Coprosma repens, karamu - C. robusta, and māpou - Myrsine australis) and spider (family Porrhothelidae) samples were collected from inside and outside seabird colonies (no burrows found within a 3m radius of the sampling location) at between 9 and 47 sampling locations on each island. At each sampling location soil and as many of the three plant species as were present were collected. Plants were sampled by picking three new growth leaves from separate individuals of the same species, if available. Soil was sampled by scraping back the litter layer and collecting approximately 100 g using a small hand trowel down to 10 cm depth. Up to three spiders were collected from inside and three from outside seabird colonies opportunistically on each island (because spider tunnels were not always present in each sampling locale) by digging up their tunnels. On each island with a seabird colony, we also collected three seabird guano samples. Spider samples were stored in 70% ethanol for transportation off the island. All samples were then washed in distilled water and oven dried at 60°C for 48 hours to prevent decomposition and in preparation for stable isotope analysis. Dried soil samples were passed through a 0.5 mm sieve, then all samples were hand ground to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Stable isotope analysis was conducted using an Elemental Combustion System (ECS 4010, Costech Instruments) coupled to the Delta Plus Advantage IRMS (Thermo Fisher Scientific) mass spectrometer at Northern Illinois University using USGS-25 and IAEA-N1 international standards.
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- Dataset
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- Metadata identifier
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urn:uuid/9cd2434b-fbc3-4efa-9631-9850a72be2ec
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
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Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Dataset
- Name
- IMAS Dataset level record
- Metadata linkage
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https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/9cd2434b-fbc3-4efa-9631-9850a72be2ec
Point of truth URL of this metadata record
- Date info (Creation)
- 2024-08-27T00:00:00
- Date info (Revision)
- 2025-03-08T17:29:43
Metadata standard
- Title
- ISO 19115-3:2018
Overviews
Spatial extent
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