Effects of urbanization on the foraging ecology and microbiota of the generalist seabird Larus argentatus.

ABSTRACT: Larus gull species have proven adaptable to urbanization and due to their generalist feeding behaviors, they provide useful opportunities to study how urban environments impact foraging behavior and host-associated microbiota. We evaluated how urbanization influenced the foraging behavior and microbiome characteristics of breeding herring gulls (Larus argentatus) at three different colonies on the east coast of the United States. Study colonies represented high, medium and low degrees of urbanization, respectively. At all colonies, gulls frequently foraged at landfills and in other urban environments, but both the use of urban environments and gull foraging metrics differed with the degree of urbanization. Gulls at the more urban colonies used urban environments more frequently, showed hig

SUBMITTER: Fuirst M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6298667 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature