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| Web URL(s): | http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2259108.pdf
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http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/2259108
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| Publication Type:
| Refereed |
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| Author(s): | Sobey, D. G.;
Kenworthy, J. B. |
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| Author Affiliation: | Culterty Field Station, Department of Botany and Department of Zoology, University of Aberneen, Aberdeen, Scotland |
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| Title: | The relationship between herring gulls and the vegetation of their breeding colonies |
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| Source: | Journal of Ecology. Vol. 67, No. 2, July 1979, p. 469-496. |
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| # of Pages: | 28 |
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| Related Web URL: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/info/2259108
Last checked: 08/06/2012
Notes: Abstract only |
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| Keywords: | TIC Keywords: Atriplex patula; Holcus lanatus; Poa annua; Rumex acetosa; Rumex crispus; Stellaria media; Tripleurospermum maritimum; Festuca rubra subsp. rubra; Ecology; Ecosystems
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| Geographic Terms: | UK |
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| Abstract/Contents: | "(1) A survey of the vegetation of eleven sites affected by herring gulls along the Aberdeenshire coast and on the Isle of May (Firth of Forth), and of adjacent unaffected areas, revealed that the vegetation of gull-affected sites consisted of a seasonal, species-poor community, in which annual and ruderal species predominated. Of particular prevalence were Atriplex hastata, Holcus lanatus, Poa annua, Rumex acetosa, R. crispus, Stellaria media and Tripleurospermum maritimum. By contrast, the vegetation on adjacent areas unaffected by gulls was generally a perennial grass sward in which Festuca rubra was the dominant species. (2) Observations from a hide at two study sites revealed that four principal gull activities affect the vegetation of breeding sites: treading, the digging of scrapes and collecting of nest-materials, boundary clashes associated with gull territorial behaviour, and defecation. Each of these activities had an uneven spatial distribution within the colony area. Although all four activities exerted important influences on the vegetation, disturbance and destruction of vegetation associated with boundary clashes appeared to be a particularly significant activity for the plants occurring in gull colonies. (3) Experimental fieldwork involving the removal of vegetation (to simulate the ultimate effects of gull disturbance) also revealed the importance of disturbance. Annual plants (Stellaria media, Atriplex patula and Senecio vulgaris) became established on an area formerly occupied by Holcus lanatus. (4) Mapping of the distribution of plant species within the two study sites over a 2-year period suggested that although gulls were responsible for the vegetation of the colonies as a whole, factors other than gull activities played a more significant role in determining the detailed distribution of plant species within the colonies. At the sites studied, differences in soil-nutrient concentrations and sea-spray deposition appeared to influence the distribution of particular species. (5) A glasshouse experiment suggested that edaphic factors might operate to exclude ruderals (particularly Urtica urens) from the poorest soil. On the richer soils, on which all species grew well, biotic factors such as interspecific competition might determine the distribution of the different species." |
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| Language: | English |
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| References: | 31 |
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| Note: | Figures
Tables
Graphs |
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| ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
Sobey, D. G., and J. B. Kenworthy. 1979. The relationship between herring gulls and the vegetation of their breeding colonies. J. Ecol. 67(2):p. 469-496. |
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| Web URL(s):
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2259108.pdf
Last checked: 08/06/2012
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http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/2259108
Last checked: 08/06/2012
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Access conditions: Item is within a limited-access website |
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MSU catalog number: QH 540 .J6 |
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