The foraging ecology and conservation of the Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
type: CreativeWork
description: The deterioration of marine ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities has multilayered consequences for seabird populations. Seabirds may suffer direct impacts such as reduced resource availability due to competition with fisheries, but deterioration in marine resources may also trigger indirect impacts such as the destabilisation of trophic relationships between predators and prey, leading in turn to predator-prey conflicts within seabird communities. Monitoring the abundance of seabird species and advancing our knowledge of their foraging ecology is therefore fundamental to assess the health of populations, identify research priorities, and guide conservation efforts. Within this thesis, I use a range of analytical and practical approaches to garner information about a seabird that is often involved in seabird predator-prey conflicts, but for which there is little information about its conservation status and foraging ecology; the Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus. I firstly use a stochastic population model to project changes in Great Black-backed Gull populations under IUCN Red List criteria at a global, continental, and national scale over 36 years. I demonstrate Great Black-backed Gulls have experienced severe declines at a global scale, meeting the requirements for a “Vulnerable” listing on the IUCN Red List. I then use long-term seabird demographic data from the Isle of May, Scotland, to quantify the impacts of Great Black-backed Gull predation on the viability of an Atlantic Puffin population. I demonstrate that whilst current predation levels are not sufficient to trigger a decline in the Atlantic Puffin population, predation significantly impacts their population growth; this can have consequences for the management of seabird populations of the Isle of May and impact assessments of renewable energy developments in the Firth of Forth that could interfere with those seabird populations. Next, I investigate the year-round foraging ecology of a Great Bl…
abstract: The deterioration of marine ecosystems due to anthropogenic activities has multilayered consequences for seabird populations. Seabirds may suffer direct impacts such as reduced resource availability due to competition with fisheries, but deterioration in marine resources may also trigger indirect impacts such as the destabilisation of trophic relationships between predators and prey, leading in turn to predator-prey conflicts within seabird communities. Monitoring the abundance of seabird species and advancing our knowledge of their foraging ecology is therefore fundamental to assess the health of populations, identify research priorities, and guide conservation efforts. Within this thesis, I use a range of analytical and practical approaches to garner information about a seabird that is often involved in seabird predator-prey conflicts, but for which there is little information about its conservation status and foraging ecology; the Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus. I firstly use a stochastic population model to project changes in Great Black-backed Gull populations under IUCN Red List criteria at a global, continental, and national scale over 36 years. I demonstrate Great Black-backed Gulls have experienced severe declines at a global scale, meeting the requirements for a “Vulnerable” listing on the IUCN Red List. I then use long-term seabird demographic data from the Isle of May, Scotland, to quantify the impacts of Great Black-backed Gull predation on the viability of an Atlantic Puffin population. I demonstrate that whilst current predation levels are not sufficient to trigger a decline in the Atlantic Puffin population, predation significantly impacts their population growth; this can have consequences for the management of seabird populations of the Isle of May and impact assessments of renewable energy developments in the Firth of Forth that could interfere with those seabird populations. Next, I investigate the year-round foraging ecology of a Great Bl…
author: Lopez, Samuel Langlois
language: eng
date published: 2024-5-8
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:12:10Z
provider: University of the Highlands and Islands
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of the Highlands and Islands