Everything about Guano totally explained
» For other uses, see Guano (disambiguation).
Guano (from the
Quechua 'wanu', via
Spanish) is the
feces of
seabirds,
bats, and seals .
It is an effective
fertilizer and
gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of
phosphorus and
nitrogen and also its lack of odor.
Superphosphate made from guano is used for
aerial topdressing.
Soil that's deficient in organic matter can be made much more productive by addition of this manure.
Usage
Guano consists of
ammonia, along with
uric,
phosphoric,
oxalic, and
carbonic acids, as well as some earth salts and impurities. Guano also has a high concentration of
nitrates.
It is estimated that there's only enough phosphorus from current resources to last about 30 years. This is a problem as vast volumes of phosphorus are needed to produce fertilizer, as it's an essential plant macronutrient. Guano is rich in phosphorus and is an effective phosphorus fertilizer.
Sourcing
The ideal type of guano is found in exceptionally dry climates, as rainwater drains the guano of nitrates. Guano is harvested on various
islands in the
Pacific Ocean (for example the
Chincha Islands and
Nauru) and in other oceans (for example
Juan de Nova Island). These islands have been home to mass seabird colonies for many centuries, and the guano has collected to a depth of many
metres. In the 19th century, Peru was famous for its supply of guano.
Bat guano, often used as an organic fertilizer in the production of marijuana, is usually mined in caves, and is associated with a corresponding loss of troglobytic biota and diminishing of biodiversity. Guano deposits support a great variety of cave-adapted invertebrate species, which rely on bat feces as their sole nutrient input. In addition to the biological component, deep guano deposits contain local paleoclimatic records in strata that have built up over thousand of years, which are unrecoverable once disturbed.
The greatest damage caused by mining to caves with extant guano deposits is to the bat colonies themselves. Bats are highly vulnerable to regular disturbance to their roosts. Some species, such as P. aphylla, have low fat reserves, and will starve to death when regularly disturbed and put into a panic state during their resting period. Many species will drop pups when in panic, with subsequent death, leading to a steady reduction in numbers. Research in Jamaica has shown that mining for bat guano is directly related to the loss of bat species, associated invertebrates and fungi, and is the greatest threat to bat caves on the island.
One of the major innovators in guano harvesting was
Benjamin Drake Van Wissen.
Guano has been harvested over several centuries along the coast of Peru, where islands and rocky shores have been sheltered from humans and predators. The
Guanay Cormorant has historically been the most important producer of guano; its guano is richer in nitrogen than guano from other seabirds. Other important guano producing species off the coast of Peru are the
Peruvian Pelican and the
Peruvian Booby.
The high concentration of
nitrates also made guano an important
strategic commodity, with the
War of the Pacific between the
Peru-
Bolivia alliance and
Chile was primarily based upon Bolivia's attempt to tax Chilean guano harvesters.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Guano'.
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