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Biodiversity

Atolls are vital for seabirds and vice versa

Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024)Cite this article

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Predictive modelling based on a global dataset reveals that atolls sustain 31.2 million breeding tropical seabirds. This vast assemblage of birds probably acts as a major nutrient pump, which highlights the need to conserve atoll ecosystems into the future.

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Fig. 1: Seabirds in the Chagos Archipelago.

Nathan Hudson-Peacock, Expedition Doctor & Photographer | www.expedition-doctor.com

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK

    Ruth E. Dunn

  2. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Ruth E. Dunn

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  1. Ruth E. Dunn
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Correspondence to Ruth E. Dunn.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Dunn, R.E. Atolls are vital for seabirds and vice versa. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02518-1

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