Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico

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-foote...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: José Juan Flores-Martínez, L. Gerardo Herrera, Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales, Iván Alarcón, Enrico A. Ruiz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2015-06-01
Series:Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/1219
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850135187595198464
author José Juan Flores-Martínez
L. Gerardo Herrera
Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales
Iván Alarcón
Enrico A. Ruiz
author_facet José Juan Flores-Martínez
L. Gerardo Herrera
Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales
Iván Alarcón
Enrico A. Ruiz
author_sort José Juan Flores-Martínez
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-179bcf76be694b47aeeea9010c5b76ae
institution OA Journals
issn 1870-3453
2007-8706
language English
publishDate 2015-06-01
publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
record_format Article
series Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
spelling doaj-art-179bcf76be694b47aeeea9010c5b76ae2025-08-20T02:31:30ZengUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoRevista Mexicana de Biodiversidad1870-34532007-87062015-06-0186210.1016/j.rmb.2015.04.002Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, MexicoJosé Juan Flores-MartínezL. Gerardo HerreraJoaquín Arroyo-CabralesIván AlarcónEnrico A. RuizThe 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.https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/1219Gull pelletsFeeding ecologyLarus livensFood niche breadth
spellingShingle José Juan Flores-Martínez
L. Gerardo Herrera
Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales
Iván Alarcón
Enrico A. Ruiz
Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
Gull pellets
Feeding ecology
Larus livens
Food niche breadth
title Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
title_full Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
title_fullStr Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
title_full_unstemmed Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
title_short Seasonal dietary differences of the Yellow-footed Gull (Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Isla Partida Norte, Gulf of California, Mexico
title_sort seasonal dietary differences of the yellow footed gull charadriiformes laridae in isla partida norte gulf of california mexico
topic Gull pellets
Feeding ecology
Larus livens
Food niche breadth
url https://revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/1219
work_keys_str_mv AT josejuanfloresmartinez seasonaldietarydifferencesoftheyellowfootedgullcharadriiformeslaridaeinislapartidanortegulfofcaliforniamexico
AT lgerardoherrera seasonaldietarydifferencesoftheyellowfootedgullcharadriiformeslaridaeinislapartidanortegulfofcaliforniamexico
AT joaquinarroyocabrales seasonaldietarydifferencesoftheyellowfootedgullcharadriiformeslaridaeinislapartidanortegulfofcaliforniamexico
AT ivanalarcon seasonaldietarydifferencesoftheyellowfootedgullcharadriiformeslaridaeinislapartidanortegulfofcaliforniamexico
AT enricoaruiz seasonaldietarydifferencesoftheyellowfootedgullcharadriiformeslaridaeinislapartidanortegulfofcaliforniamexico