Title
Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
Date Issued
01 June 2015
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Flores-Martínez J.J.
Herrera L.G.
Arroyo-Cabrales J.
Alarcón I.
Ruiz E.A.
Publisher(s)
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Abstract
The Yellow-footed Gull (Larus livens) is one of the few members of the genus Larus inhabiting the Gulf of California. Its breeding biology, nest phenology, and behavior have been long studied but little is known about seasonal changes in its diet. In this study, we tested if the diet of Yellow-footed Gull differed between reproductive (April and July) and non-reproductive (December). The frequency of occurrence of food items in gull's pellets and food niche breadth (FNB) and Levin's diversity (Best) indexes for each sampling period (April, July, and December), as well as Pianka's dietary overlap (O%) and Morisita's (MI) dietary similarity indices between periods were estimated. We identified 9 taxa classes, whose frequency of occurrence varied significantly between all comparisons (April and December, July and December, April and July), and between reproductive (April-July) and non-reproductive seasons. FNB and Best diversity indexes indicated that Yellow-footed Gull has a broader niche spectrum during the breeding season (April-July), while dietary overlap estimators (O% and MI) were higher between July vs. December and April vs. December, but lower in April vs. July. Results are contrasted with previous studies of gull's feeding ecology, and possible effects of local human activity are discussed.
Start page
412
End page
418
Volume
86
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Ingeniería marina, naves
Ecología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84939143687
Source
Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
ISSN of the container
18703453
DOI of the container
10.1016/j.rmb.2015.04.002
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus