Abstract
The present study was performed at Potter Peninsula (King George Island, Antarctica) with the following goals: (1) to assess the size selection of kelp gulls on Antarctic limpets during the chick-rearing period, and (2) to evaluate the degree of accuracy in the use of populational abundance and size-frequency distribution as an indicator of prey availability. The average size of limpets available to kelp gulls was significantly smaller than that of the population as a whole and those actually consumed by gulls. The odds ratio revealed a strong selectivity for large limpets, when available and consumed sizes were compared. However, only a proportion of the limpets present was available to gulls. These differences clearly show that using abundance information as an indicator of a resource importance can lead to substantial errors in ecological interpretations.
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Accepted: 21 November 1998
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Silva, M., Favero, M. & Martínez, M. Prey size selectivity by kelp gulls on Antarctic limpets at King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Biol 21, 397–400 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003000050379
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003000050379