Reflectance spectroscopy: a new approach for reconstructing penguin population size from Antarctic ornithogenic sediments |
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| Authors: | Xiaodong Liu Jing Sun Liguang Sun Wenqi Liu Yuhong Wang |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Polar Environment, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People’s Republic of China;(2) Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA;(3) Instruments’ Center for Physical Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People’s Republic of China;(4) National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA |
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| Abstract: | Reflectance spectroscopy has several advantages compared to traditional chemical methods in paleolimnology. It requires little
cost, involves minimal or no sample preparation and is rapid. There has, however, been limited use of reflectance spectroscopy
in polar paleolimnological studies. This paper explores the application of reflectance spectroscopy to reconstruct historical
changes in penguin population size in the maritime Antarctic. Two ornithogenic sediment cores on Ardley Island, Antarctica
were analyzed. Penguin droppings and weathered soils were analyzed as reference materials. Principal component analysis and
linear mixing modeling were performed on the spectral data to estimate the proportion of penguin guano in the sediments and
these values were used to infer historical penguin population numbers. Historical penguin population size versus time, reconstructed
from reflectance spectra, and population numbers inferred from previous geochemical analysis of bio-elements, were quite similar.
Our results illustrate the feasibility of rapidly inferring historical changes in penguin population size using reflectance
spectroscopy on Antarctic ornithogenic sediments. Our findings suggest that this technique has potential for reconstructing
past population numbers of other seabirds and mammals using lake sediments influenced by animal excrement. |
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