Title
Winter consumption of the introduced green crab Carcinus maenas by kelp gulls Larus dominicanus
Author(s)
Lisnizer ,Nora;Giudici ,Paula;Pollicelli ,Miriam;Cortés ,Juan;Frixione ,Martín;Yorio ,Pablo
Published
In Press
Publisher
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
Abstract
The introduction of species can have negative effects on species, communities, and ecosystems, although native predators may profit from the introduced prey. We present an evaluation of the consumption of the introduced Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) by Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus) during the austral winter in Patagonia, Argentina. Green Crab remains were present in 9.4% (n?=?416) of the Kelp Gull pellets collected between June and August of 2021, at four coastal sectors distributed along more than 400?km of coastline. Frequency of occurrence of Green Crabs in Kelp Gull pellets varied between 0 and 66.7% depending on the location, and being similar for the three studied months. Overall, Kelp gulls included at least 35 food items in their diet with variable contributions from different food categories, again depending on the location. This is the first report on the winter consumption of Green Crabs by Kelp Gulls and provides baseline information for understanding the role of this introduced species in newly invaded coastal ecosystems.
Keywords
Carcinus maenas; coastal environment; gulls; introduced species; Larus dominicanus; Argentine Patagonia; predator prey relationship; winter diet
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PUB36251