Аннотация:1. The High Arctic, including the Svalbard archipelago in the North Atlantic, has been exposed
to dramatic climate change. In addition to the direct and indirect drivers of climatic change
such as rising temperatures and associated changes in hydrology and nutrient fluxes, there is
also a growing impact by birds on high latitude freshwaters. The number of migrating birds,
particularly geese, has increased remarkably on the Svalbard archipelago during the second
half of the last century. The higher number of breeding birds has potential impacts on water
quality properties as well as the biota in ponds and lakes. Birds may also serve as vectors for
transmission and colonization of organisms.
2. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential influence of increasing goose density on
nutrients, productivity and diversity in freshwaters of the high Arctic. To address this, we
conducted a survey on selected ponds on Svalbard along a “goose activity gradient”,
measuring important productivity proxies and examining the taxon richness and structure of
phytoplankton and invertebrate communities of these ponds.
3. Presence and activity of geese was associated with higher productivity of the ponds. While
only invertebrate taxa richness correlated (positively) with goose activity, both phytoplankton
and invertebrate taxa richness increased with increasing nitrogen (N) concentrations. Geese
activity also significantly affected phytoplankton community structure, while total-N and total
phosphorus (P) did not. The community structure of aquatic invertebrates was most strongly
affected by goose activity, but the effect of total-N was also significant. Goose activity had a
stronger impact on invertebrates than on phytoplankton.
4. The effects of increasing goose activity on biodiversity was partly caused by bird-mediated
eutrophication. However, bird-mediated dispersal may also have contributed to observed
changes in biodiversity at higher goose activity.
5. Currently, many new small water bodies are created in front of the retracting glaciers in the
Arctic. The goose populations may play an important role for the development of these new
water bodies by increasing their productivity and influencing their biodiversity.