Life-History Strategy of the Herring Gull: Changes in Survival and Fecundity in a Population Subjected to Various Feeding Conditions

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. British Ecological Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Animal Ecology. Summary 1. The present study compares breeding parameters and adult survival rate in a herring gull colony before and after the closing of a large refuse tip where breeders used to find most of their food. During the first study period (1983-88) food of human origin was abundant and virtually always available. During the second period (1989-90) such food was scarce. 2. The annual adult survival rate was time-dependent. It varied from 0-826 (SE = 0.031) in 1987-88 to 0-975 (SE = 0-022) in 1985-86. The average survival rate calculated for 1983-90 was 0-881 (SE = 0-014).There was no significant difference in adult survival between males and females. The closure of the refuse tip was not followed by a significant decrease in adult survival rate. 3. After the refuse tip was closed, mean clutch size and mean production of young per breeding pair decreased by 6-7% and 49 1%, respectively. Mean adult body weight decreased by 4-6% for males and by 4-7% for females. 4. The proportion of non-breeders among former breeders and the proportion of 3and 4-year-old individuals among ringed birds did not change after closure of the tip. 5. The results are discussed in terms of the life-history theory, which predicts that in long-lived species a decrease in food supply should affect fecundity before affecting adult survival.

Effect of food abundance on laying date and clutch size in the White StorkCiconia ciconia

“…A similar positive relationship between food abundance in rubbish dumps and clutch size was found by Pons & Migot (1995) in Herring Gulls. Reduction in food supply, resulting from the closure of a rubbish dump, was followed by a decrease of 6.7% in mean clutch sizes and a 50% reduction in production of young.…”

“…The food provided by garbage seems to affect migrating habits of White Storks (Tortosa et al 1995). Breeding performance is also known to be affected by food availability at dumps as reported in the White Stork (Tortosa et al 2002) and Herring Gulls Larus argentatus (Pons & Migot 1995).…”

Influence of food availability on demography and local population dynamics in a long-lived seabird

“…Some studies have shown that there is a relationship between resource availability and deferred breeding (e.g. Monaghan et al 1992;Wernham & Bryant 1998), adult survival (Pons & Migot 1995;Harris et al 1997;Oro et al 1999;Oro & Furness 2002) or local recruitment rates (Boekelheide & Ainley 1989;Oro & Pradel 2000). Most survival studies have been conducted at a single site, or a subset of locations and have addressed local survival (i.e.…”

Growth of Audouin's gull chicks: the role of prehatch and posthatch factors

“…The main prehatch factor affecting egg size is food availability (see e.g. Hébert and Barclay, 1988;Hiom et al, 1991;Bolton et al, 1992;Pons and Migot, 1995), so egg size reflects the conditions of food availability in the area surrounding colonies SCI. MAR., SCIENTIA MARINA…”