Falkland Islands Ecosystem

Falkland Islands Ecosystem

Seabird response to abrupt climate change 5,000 years ago transformed Falklands ecosystems. A 14,000-year paleoecological reconstruction of the sub-Antarctic islands has found that seabird establishment occurred during a period of regional cooling 5,000 years ago. Their populations, in turn, shifted the Falkland Islands ecosystems through the deposit of high concentrations of guano that helped nourish tussac, produce peat and increase the incidence of fire. Source 6r.