Impacts of Seabirds on Plant and Soil Properties

This chapter discusses the common effects of seabirds on island soils and plant chemistry. It examines seabird-deposited nitrogen and phosphorus, commonly known as guano, and their effects in soils and plants. It analyzes the study of J. C. Ellis in his 2005 paper concerning the status of plant biomass, species richness, and community composition in seabird colonies. It explores the extent to which such impacts are consistent among different systems through the comparison of soil and leaf chemistry. It also evaluates the extent to which plant characteristics, such as growth form and life history, can explain differences in responses to seabird densities between systems.