The introduced green crab (Carcinus maenas) as a novel food resource for the opportunistic kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) in Argentine Patagonia

Pablo Yorio,Cynthia Ibarra,Nicolás Suárez,Alejandro Gatto,Tatiana Kasinsky,Miriam Pollicelli

doi:10.3391/ai.2020.15.1.10

Abstract

Fil: Yorio, Pablo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagonico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos

Highlights

IntroductionIn coastal and marine environments, invasive exotic species can have negative effects at the species, community and ecosystem levels (Ruiz et al 1997; Grosholz 2002)
Our results confirm that the kelp gull is a predator with a wide trophic spectrum during the breeding season, as recorded in previous studies at the same and other locations in Argentine Patagonia (Yorio and Bertellotti 2002; Yorio et al 2013; González-Zevallos et al 2017; Marinao et al 2018)
Kelp gulls consumed the green crab to a different degree during most or part of the breeding cycle at all study locations

Summary

Introduction

In coastal and marine environments, invasive exotic species can have negative effects at the species, community and ecosystem levels (Ruiz et al 1997; Grosholz 2002). A growing number of studies have shown that species introductions can result in neutral or even positive effects on native organisms (Rodríguez 2006; Carlsson et al 2009; Goodenough 2010; Pintor and Byers 2015). For example, may adapt to feed on introduced prey when these became relatively abundant and obtain fitness benefits from this novel food resource (Carlsson et al 2009). In particular, have been regularly recorded taking advantage of introduced prey, in aquatic and in terrestrial ecosystems (Tablado et al 2010; Speziale and Lambertucci 2013; Bertolero and Navarro 2018)

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion