The influence of gray heron (Ardea cinerea L.) Nesting places on the nature of litter and soil changes in the broad-leaved forest of Tula region

Abstract

The composition of water extracts of the soil, litter and land litter was studied for the conditions of the nesting places of the gray heron and the control plots in the zone of distribution of gray forest soils of the broad-leaved ecosystems of the Tula area. It has been established that the entry of bird excreta leads to an almost universal degradation of land cover, the formation of specific litters, with a significant influx of large tree litter, which is associated with the nest building process. It is shown that the upper horizons of gray forest soil, litter and litter in nesting conditions are characterized by an increased content of such elements as calcium, potassium and magnesium, and among trace elements - copper, zinc and strontium. Among the anions in the soils and litters of bird nesting sites, an increase in the content of nitrates, phosphates and chlorine was found.

References

1. Abbasi N.A., Jaspers V.L.B., Chaudhry M.J.I. et al. Influence of taxa, trophic level, and location on bioaccumulation of toxic metals in bird’s feathers: a prehminary biomonitoring study using multiple bird species from Pakistan // Chemosphere. 2015. Vol. 120.

2. Bancroft W.J., Garkaklis M.J., Roberts J.D. Burrow building in seabird colonies: a soil-forming process in island ecosystems 11 Pedobiologia. 2005. Vol. 49, Is. 2.

3. Berglund A.M.M. Evaluating blood and excrement as bioindicators for metal accumulation in birds // Environ. Pollut. 2018. Vol. 233.

4. Fang W., Chen X., Lin Q., Zhou X. Effect of colonial breeding of Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes) on the heavy metal accumulation in heronry soil // Chinese birds. 2010. N 1.

5. Koivula M.J., Tapio E. Metal-related oxidative stress in birds // Environ. Pollut. 2010. Vol. 158, Is. 7.

6. Liu X., Zhao S., Sun L. et al. P and trace metal contents in biomaterials, soils, sediments and plants in colony of red-footed booby (Sula sula) in the Dongdao Island of South China Sea // Chemosphere. 2006. Vol. 65, Is. 4.

7. Nie Y., Liu X., Sun L., Steven D. Emslie Effect of penguin and seal excrement on mercury distribution in sediments from the Ross Sea region, East Antarctica // Sci. Total Environ. 2012. Vol. 433.

8. Pena-Lastra S. de la, Perez-Alberti A., Otero X.L. Enrichment of trace elements in colonies of the yellowlegged gull (Larus michahellis) in the Atlantic Islands National Park (Galicia-NW Spain) // Sci. Total Environ. 2019. Vol. 648.

9. Rainio M.J. Metal-induced oxidative stress and antioxidant defence in small asserine birds. Finland, 2013.

10. Rutkowska M., Plotka-Wasylka J., Lubinska-Szczygel M. et al. Birds’ feathers — Suitable samples for determination of environmental pollutants // TrAC Trends in Analyt. Chem. 2018. Vol. 109.

11. Zhu Y., Gu B., Irick D.L. et al. Wading bird guano contributes to Hg accumulation in tree island soils in the Florida Everglades // Environ. Pollut. 2014. Vol. 184.