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Change of Organic δ13C in Ornithogenic Sediments of the Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea and its Implication for Ecological Development
Libin WU,
Xiaodong LIU,
Liqiang XU,
Libin WU
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xiaodong LIU
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Liqiang XU
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorLibin WU,
Xiaodong LIU,
Liqiang XU,
Libin WU
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xiaodong LIU
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Liqiang XU
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbout the first author:
WU Libin, male, born in 1992 in Fuyang City, Anhui Province; a Ph.D. candidate of University of Science and Technology of China. He is now interested in the study on stable isotope ecogeology. E-mail: [email protected]; phone: 0551-63606051.
Abstract
Organic carbon isotopes in sediments have been frequently used to identify the source of organic matter. Here we present a study of organic δ13C on two sediment profiles influenced by guano from Guangjin and Jinqing islands in the Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea. Organic matter from ornithogenic coral sand sediments has two main sources, guano pellets and plant residues, and their organic δ13C (δ13COM) are significantly different Organic carbon δ13Cguano is much higher than δ13Cplant, and δ13COM of bulk samples is intermediate. Based on a two-end-member mixing model, the proportions of guano- and plant-derived organic matter in the bulk samples were reconstructed quantitatively. The results showed that seabirds began to inhabit the islands around approximately 1200–1400 AD, and that guano pellets have been an important source of soil organic matter since then. With the accumulation of guano-derived nutrients, plants began to develop prosperously on the islands in the last 200 years, which is reflected by the significant increase of plant-derived organic matter in the upper sediment layer. However, guano-derived organic matter decreased greatly in recent decades, indicating a rapid decrease in seabird population. Our results show that organic δ13C can be effectively used to quantitatively determine different source contributions of OM to bulk ornithogenic coral sand sediments.
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