Lech Stempniewicz
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View article: Inter- and intra-annual differences in foraging ecology of the chick-rearing Brünnich’s guillemots ( <i>Uria lomvia</i> ) breeding in the High Arctic
Inter- and intra-annual differences in foraging ecology of the chick-rearing Brünnich’s guillemots ( <i>Uria lomvia</i> ) breeding in the High Arctic Open
The foraging ecology of seabirds depends on both external and internal factors. Seabirds can modify their feeding strategy depending on current food availability to maintain optimal energy levels provisioned to the offspring. Here, we inve…
View article: Taming a wolf
Taming a wolf Open
The gelada (Theropithecus gelada) and the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) are considered, respectively, the only graminivorous monkey and the rarest canid worldwide. Endemic to Ethiopian alpine grasslands, both species have very limited ra…
View article: Fledging behaviour in colonial auks from the Alcini tribe: comparison of Little Auk Alle alle and Brünnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia
Fledging behaviour in colonial auks from the Alcini tribe: comparison of Little Auk Alle alle and Brünnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia Open
Colonial seabirds have adopted certain strategies to minimize breeding losses during fledging. This review focuses on the most numerous high-Arctic auks: Little Auk Alle alle and Brünnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia . Colonies of Little Auks a…
View article: Ecological niche overlap in the Arctic vegetation influenced by seabirds
Ecological niche overlap in the Arctic vegetation influenced by seabirds Open
In the High Arctic, nutrients are the most limiting resources, so terrestrial vegetation is of low complexity and grows slowly. However, locally, large seabird colonies increase soil fertility by deposition of faeces, supporting the develo…
View article: Impact of planktivorous little auks ( Alle alle) on soil organic matter in Spitsbergen, High Arctic
Impact of planktivorous little auks ( Alle alle) on soil organic matter in Spitsbergen, High Arctic Open
Seabirds constitute an important link between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, one of its manifestations being the transport of organic matter from the sea to breeding grounds. The main aim of our study was to determine the impact of gre…
View article: Last refuge for Arctic fauna
Last refuge for Arctic fauna Open
The most visible effect of climate warming in the Arctic is arguably the decline of ice cover. In Arctic fjords, this is being manifested by rapid melting and retreat of glaciers. In Hornsund Fjord (southwest Spitsbergen, an island in the …
View article: The Little Auk Alle alle: an ecological indicator of a changing Arctic and a model organism
The Little Auk Alle alle: an ecological indicator of a changing Arctic and a model organism Open
The Little Auk Alle alle is a small planktivorous auk breeding colonially in the High Arctic. Owing to its large population size and bi-environmental lifestyle, resulting in the large-scale transport of matter from sea to land, the Little …
View article: Correction to: Yes, they can: polar bears Ursus maritimus successfully hunt Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus
Correction to: Yes, they can: polar bears Ursus maritimus successfully hunt Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Open
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02954-w.].
View article: Yes, they can: polar bears Ursus maritimus successfully hunt Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus
Yes, they can: polar bears Ursus maritimus successfully hunt Svalbard reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Open
The polar bear Ursus maritimus is one of the species most endangered by the rapidly declining sea–ice cover in the Arctic, which they use as a platform to hunt fatty, high-energy seals. In recent decades, more polar bears have been forced …
View article: Advection of Atlantic water masses influences seabird community foraging in a high-Arctic fjord
Advection of Atlantic water masses influences seabird community foraging in a high-Arctic fjord Open
Hornsund is a typical high-Arctic fjord, with the usual predominance of water masses of the Arctic origin, and associated lipid-rich zooplankton, which is an important food source for many seabird species. The fjord hosts one of the larges…
View article: Abundance, habitat use and food consumption of seabirds in the high-Arctic fjord ecosystem
Abundance, habitat use and food consumption of seabirds in the high-Arctic fjord ecosystem Open
To monitor the rapid changes occurring in Arctic ecosystems and predict their direction, basic information about the current number and structure of the main components of these systems is necessary. Using boat-based surveys, we studied th…
View article: Cyanobacterial and green algal assemblages in various tundra habitats in the high Arctic (West Spitsbergen, Norway)
Cyanobacterial and green algal assemblages in various tundra habitats in the high Arctic (West Spitsbergen, Norway) Open
The diversity of cyanobacteria and algae from various microhabitats in Spitsbergen is comparatively well known. However, the relationships between environmental factors and the structure of microflora communities remain largely unclear. Th…
View article: Can seabirds modify carbon burial in fjords?
Can seabirds modify carbon burial in fjords? Open
Two high latitude fjords of Spitsbergen (Hornsund 77°N and Kongsfjorden 79°N) are regarded as being highly productive (70 g and 50 gC m−2 year−1) and having organic-rich sediments. Hornsund has more organic matter in its sediments (8%), ne…
View article: Subglacial discharges create fluctuating foraging hotspots for sea birds in tidewater glacier bays
Subglacial discharges create fluctuating foraging hotspots for sea birds in tidewater glacier bays Open
Although the processes occurring at the front of an ice face in tidewater glacier bays still await thorough investigation, their importance to the rapidly changing polar environment is spurring a considerable research effort. Glacier melti…
View article: Environmental DNA as a valuable and unique source of information about ecological networks in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems
Environmental DNA as a valuable and unique source of information about ecological networks in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems Open
Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ongoing and predicted climate changes. The current states of environmental biodiversity and ecological networks in the Arctic need to be known and understood to mo…
View article: Polar bears observed climbing steep slopes to graze on scurvy grass in Svalbard
Polar bears observed climbing steep slopes to graze on scurvy grass in Svalbard Open
It is well known that polar bears feed on vegetation. Here, I report novel observations of polar bears grazing on polar scurvy grass (Cochlearia groenlandica) at the foot of a large seabird colony on a cliff on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in th…
View article: Differential Responses of Arctic Vegetation to Nutrient Enrichment by Plankton- and Fish-Eating Colonial Seabirds in Spitsbergen
Differential Responses of Arctic Vegetation to Nutrient Enrichment by Plankton- and Fish-Eating Colonial Seabirds in Spitsbergen Open
The role of seabirds as sea-land biovectors of nutrients is well documented. However, no studies have examined whether and how colonial seabirds that differ in diet may influence terrestrial vegetation. Therefore, the purpose of the study …
View article: Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences
Marine birds and mammals foraging in the rapidly deglaciating Arctic fjord - numbers, distribution and habitat preferences Open
Climate-induced glacier retreat is considered in the context of its reducing the sea-ice contact zone used by marine birds and mammals as important foraging grounds and may cause declines in their numbers. To test this hypothesis, a survey…
View article: The Arctic Soil Bacterial Communities in the Vicinity of a Little Auk Colony
The Arctic Soil Bacterial Communities in the Vicinity of a Little Auk Colony Open
Due to deposition of birds' guano, eggshells or feathers, the vicinity of a large seabirds' breeding colony is expected to have a substantial impact on the soil's physicochemical features as well as on diversity of vegetation and the soil …
View article: DNA extracted from faeces as a source of information about endemic reindeer from the High Arctic: detection of Shiga toxin genes and the analysis of reindeer male-specific DNA
DNA extracted from faeces as a source of information about endemic reindeer from the High Arctic: detection of Shiga toxin genes and the analysis of reindeer male-specific DNA Open
DNA extracted from faeces may be a valuable source of information about the animal itself, as well as its microflora. An isolated reindeer population from Svalbard (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) was tested for the presence of Shiga toxi…
View article: Importance of Marine-Derived Nutrients Supplied by Planktivorous Seabirds to High Arctic Tundra Plant Communities
Importance of Marine-Derived Nutrients Supplied by Planktivorous Seabirds to High Arctic Tundra Plant Communities Open
We studied the relative importance of several environmental factors for tundra plant communities in five locations across Svalbard (High Arctic) that differed in geographical location, oceanographic and climatic influence, and soil charact…
View article: New Insights into the Microbiota of the Svalbard Reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus
New Insights into the Microbiota of the Svalbard Reindeer Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Open
Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is a non-migratory subspecies of reindeer inhabiting the high-arctic archipelago of Svalbard. In contrast to other Rangifer tarandus subspecies, Svalbard reindeer graze exclusively on nat…
View article: Intra-seasonal variation in zooplankton availability, chick diet and breeding performance of a high Arctic planktivorous seabird
Intra-seasonal variation in zooplankton availability, chick diet and breeding performance of a high Arctic planktivorous seabird Open
Different phenological responses to climate changes by species representing preys and predators may lead to mismatch between functionally dependent components of an ecosystem, with important effects on its structure and functioning. Here, …
View article: Climate change and the increasing impact of polar bears on bird populations
Climate change and the increasing impact of polar bears on bird populations Open
The Arctic is becoming warmer at a high rate, and contractions in the extent of sea ice are currently changing the habitats of marine top-predators dependent on ice. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) depend on sea ice for hunting seals. For th…