Effect of urbanization on individual condition of a threatened seabird: the Olrog’s Gull Larus atlanticus

García, Germán Oscar; Zumpano, Francisco; Jelicich, Rocío Mariano y; Favero, Marco

doi:10.1007/s11252-023-01347-7

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Several species thrive in urban environments, in part, because they have access to abundant and consistent anthropogenic food resources [1][2][3]. Yet, anthropogenic foods often lack nutritional quality, potentially causing nutritional deficiencies in essential amino acids, fatty acids or micronutrients [4][5][6]. Western diets are notably deficient in omega-3 fatty acids (n3-PUFAs), which include the medium-chain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and its long-chain derivates omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-LCPUFAs), namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While inflammation is an integral part of healing, it must be counterbalanced by anti-inflammatory agents, such as n3-LCPUFAs, which protect tissues from long-term damage caused by oxidative stress [16,41,42]. In addition, foraging in cities and landfills is, in itself, proinflammatory owing to the heightened oxidative stress experienced by urban populations as a result of greater exposure to pollution and contaminants [6,43,44]. The combination of foraging in habitats conducive to oxidative stress and feeding on resources high in proinflammatory n6-PUFAs but poor in anti-inflammatory n3-LCPUFAs put urban animals at greater risk of suffering adverse consequences from long-term inflammation, whether it be through impaired fertility [45,46], reduced longevity [47,48] or early onset of brain senescence [15,49,50].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-term dietary changes are reflected in the cerebral content of adult ring-billed gulls

Lamarre,

Wilson

2024

R. Soc. Open Sci.

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Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-LCPUFAs) are produced primarily in aquatic ecosystems and are considered essential nutrients for predators given their structural role in vertebrates’ cerebral tissues. Alarmingly, with urbanization, many aquatic animals now rely on anthropogenic foods lacking n3-LCPUFAs. In this study undertaken in Newfoundland (Canada), we tested whether recent or longer term diet explains the cerebral fatty acid composition of ring-billed gulls ( Larus delawarensis ), a seabird that now thrives in cities. During the breeding season, cerebral levels of n3-LCPUFAs were significantly higher for gulls nesting in a natural habitat and foraging on marine food (mean ± s.d.: 32 ± 1% of total identified fatty acids) than for urban nesters exploiting rubbish (27 ± 1%). Stable isotope analysis of blood and feathers showed that urban and natural nesters shared similar diets in autumn and winter, suggesting that the difference in cerebral n3-LCPUFAs during the breeding season was owing to concomitant and transient differences in diet. We also experimentally manipulated gulls’ diets throughout incubation by supplementing them with fish oil rich in n3-LCPUFAs, a caloric control lacking n3-LCPUFAs, or nothing, and found evidence that fish oil increased urban nesters’ cerebral n3-LCPUFAs. These complementary analyses provide evidence that the brain of this seabird remains plastic during adulthood and responds to short-term dietary changes.

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