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A three-isotope approach to disentangling the diet of a generalist consumer: the yellow-legged gull in northwest Spain

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Abstract

The widespread omnivory of consumers and the trophic complexity of marine ecosystems make it difficult to infer the feeding ecology of species. The use of stable isotopic analysis plays a crucial role in elucidating trophic interactions. Here we analysed δ15N, δ13C and δ34S in chick feathers, and we used a Bayesian triple-isotope mixing model to reconstruct the diet of a generalist predator, the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) that breeds in the coastal upwelling area off northwest mainland Spain. The mixing model indicated that although chicks from all colonies were fed with a high percentage of fish, there are geographical differences in their diets. While chicks from northern colonies consume higher percentages of earthworms, refuse constitutes a more important source in the diet of chicks from western colonies. The three-isotope mixing model revealed a heterogeneity in foraging habitats that would not have been apparent if only two stable isotopes had been analysed. Moreover, our work highlights the potential of adding δ34S for distinguishing not only between terrestrial and marine prey, but also between different marine species such as fish, crabs and mussels.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are given to the Conselleria de Medio Ambiente (“Xunta de Galicia” autonomous regional government) and to the Parque Nacional de las Illas Atlánticas de Galicia, for the facilities to develop this work. We would especially like to thank C. Pérez and C. Díez (University of Vigo, Spain) for help with the collection of feathers, and M. Mulet, M. Salvande Fraga and S. Baños for help with local prey sampling. We also thank to P. Teixidor, P. Rubio, R. Roca, and E. Aracil of the Serveis Científico-Tècnics for their help in stable isotope analysis. R. Moreno was supported by an FPU grant (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain). Funding for this work was provided by project VEM2004-08524 from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and CGL2008-05448-C02-C01 and CGL2008-05448-C02-C02 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament Biologia Animal (Vertebrats), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Rocío Moreno & Carola Sanpera

  2. Departament Salut Pública, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Casanova 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Lluís Jover

  3. Departamento Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Galicia, Spain

    Alberto Velando

  4. Departamento de Botánica, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Sur, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

    Ignacio Munilla

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  1. Rocío Moreno
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  2. Lluís Jover
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  3. Ignacio Munilla
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  4. Alberto Velando
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  5. Carola Sanpera
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Correspondence to Rocío Moreno.

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Communicated by U. Sommer.

This manuscript is dedicated to Xavier Ruiz who contributed to this paper and deceased on April 27, 2008.

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Moreno, R., Jover, L., Munilla, I. et al. A three-isotope approach to disentangling the diet of a generalist consumer: the yellow-legged gull in northwest Spain. Mar Biol 157, 545–553 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1340-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1340-9

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