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Peer-reviewedCC BYScience Advances

Seabirds and native vegetation drive ecosystem processes that support atoll island resilience

  • Nicholas A. J. Graham1
  • Cassandra E. Benkwitt1,2
  • Ines D. Lange3
  • Chris T. Perry3
  • Eleanor R. Thomson4
  • Lisa M. Wedding4
  • Ruth E. Dunn1,5,6
  • Sebastian Steibl7,8
  • Courtney E. Stuart4
  • Laura-Li Jeannot1
  • Jennifer Appoo9,10
  • Julia Rodriguez Fillol3
13 more authors
  • Marleen Stuhr11
  • Pirta Palola4
  • Peter Carr12
  • Jayna L. DeVore13,14
  • Simon Ducatez15
  • Anna Zora16
  • Ayla K. Hastings16
  • Solène Fabre Barroso17
  • Sean Evans18
  • Melissa Schulze18
  • Emma Cotton19
  • Hazel Reddington4
  • Yadvinder Malhi4,20
20 affiliations
  1. 1Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
  2. 2California Oceans Program, The Nature Conservancy, CA, USA.
  3. 3Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
  4. 4School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  5. 5The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
  6. 6Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.
  7. 7School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  8. 8Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
  9. 9UMR ENTROPIE, Université de La Réunion, La Réunion, France.
  10. 10Blue Economy Research Institute, University of Seychelles, Anse Royale, Mahé, Seychelles.
  11. 11Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, Bremen, Germany.
  12. 12Chagos Conservation Trust, London, UK.
  13. 13Tetiaroa Society, Teti’aroa, French Polynesia.
  14. 14University of French Polynesia, IFREMER, ILM, IRD, UMR SECOPOL, Campus d'Outumaoro, Punaauia, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
  15. 15IRD, ILM, IFREMER, UPF, UMR SECOPOL, Campus d'Outumaoro, Punaauia, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
  16. 16Frégate Island Foundation, Roche Caiman, Mahé, Seychelles.
  17. 17Fenua Ecologie, 98702 Faaa Centre, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
  18. 18Cousine Island Conservation, Cousine Island, Seychelles.
  19. 19Island Conservation Society, Pointe Larue, Mahé, Seychelles.
  20. 20Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Abstract

Ecosystem restoration is expected to enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change, but few empirical and mechanistic demonstrations of such assertions exist. Here, we explore this topic for tropical atoll systems, combining science on nutrient subsidies and geo-ecological functions through a unifying ecological energetics lens. We show that native forest cover and seabird nutrient inputs increase primary productivity and secondary metabolism on islands and adjacent coral reefs, scaling with key ecosystem processes. We then demonstrate that seabird and native forest restoration could contribute to reducing island climate change vulnerability by (i) increasing reef accretion rates such that they keep pace with sea-level rise under a 2.0°C warming scenario, (ii) enhancing the production rate of sediment, which could contribute to island maintenance, and (iii) increasing vegetation fine root length, aiding island sediment stabilization. Collectively, our findings provide an integrated energetics and geo-ecological perspective that suggests rewilding of atolls can contribute to climate resilience.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{graham2026seabirds,
  title = {{Seabirds and native vegetation drive ecosystem processes that support atoll island resilience}},
  author = {Nicholas A. J. Graham and Cassandra E. Benkwitt and Ines D. Lange and Chris T. Perry and Eleanor R. Thomson and Lisa M. Wedding and Ruth E. Dunn and Sebastian Steibl and Courtney E. Stuart and Laura-Li Jeannot and Jennifer Appoo and Julia Rodriguez Fillol and Marleen Stuhr and Pirta Palola and Peter Carr and Jayna L. DeVore and Simon Ducatez and Anna Zora and Ayla K. Hastings and Solène Fabre Barroso and Sean Evans and Melissa Schulze and Emma Cotton and Hazel Reddington and Yadvinder Malhi},
  journal = {Science Advances},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aei1145},
  url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aei1145},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Seabirds and native vegetation drive ecosystem processes that support atoll island resilience
AU  - Nicholas A. J. Graham
AU  - Cassandra E. Benkwitt
AU  - Ines D. Lange
AU  - Chris T. Perry
AU  - Eleanor R. Thomson
AU  - Lisa M. Wedding
AU  - Ruth E. Dunn
AU  - Sebastian Steibl
AU  - Courtney E. Stuart
AU  - Laura-Li Jeannot
AU  - Jennifer Appoo
AU  - Julia Rodriguez Fillol
AU  - Marleen Stuhr
AU  - Pirta Palola
AU  - Peter Carr
AU  - Jayna L. DeVore
AU  - Simon Ducatez
AU  - Anna Zora
AU  - Ayla K. Hastings
AU  - Solène Fabre Barroso
AU  - Sean Evans
AU  - Melissa Schulze
AU  - Emma Cotton
AU  - Hazel Reddington
AU  - Yadvinder Malhi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
JO  - Science Advances
DO  - 10.1126/sciadv.aei1145
UR  - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aei1145
AB  - Ecosystem restoration is expected to enhance ecosystem resilience to climate change, but few empirical and mechanistic demonstrations of such assertions exist. Here, we explore this topic for tropical atoll systems, combining science on nutrient subsidies and geo-ecological functions through a unifying ecological energetics lens. We show that native forest cover and seabird nutrient inputs increase primary productivity and secondary metabolism on islands and adjacent coral reefs, scaling with key ecosystem processes. We then demonstrate that seabird and native forest restoration could contribute to reducing island climate change vulnerability by (i) increasing reef accretion rates such that they keep pace with sea-level rise under a 2.0°C warming scenario, (ii) enhancing the production rate of sediment, which could contribute to island maintenance, and (iii) increasing vegetation fine root length, aiding island sediment stabilization. Collectively, our findings provide an integrated energetics and geo-ecological perspective that suggests rewilding of atolls can contribute to climate resilience.
SN  - 2375-2548
ER  -