Skip to main content

Kelp gulls Larus dominicanus as predators in kelp Macrocystis pyrifera beds

Oecologia volume 76, pages 155–157 (1988)Cite this article

Summary

Minimum daily consumption of bivalves Gaimardia sp by kelp gulls in a Macrocystis kelp bed at Porvenir, Tierra del Fuego, was calculated to be ca. 525 000 individuals, corresponding to an energy removal of ca. 21 kJ·m-2·d-1. This is far in excess of energy removal by any other higher-trophic-level predator in southern Chilean Macrocystis beds, but previous work has ignored kelp gulls as a component of the kelp bed community.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Refernces

  • altmann J (1974) Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour 49:227–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Blankley WO (1982) The intertidal and shallow subtidal food web of sub-Antarctic Marison Island. MSc Thesis, University of Cape Town

  • Blankley WO (1985) The intertidal and shallow subtidal food web at Marion Island. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 630–636

    Google Scholar 

  • Castilla JC (1985) Food webs and functional aspects of the kelp Macrocystis pyrifera community in the Beagle Channel, Chile. In: Siegfried WR, condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 407–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Castilla JC, Moreno CA (1982) Sea urchins and Macrocystis pyrifera: experimental test of their ecological relations in southern Chile. In: Lawrence RM (ed) Proc International Echinoderm Conference, Tampa Bay. AA Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 257–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayton PK (1974) Kelp communites of southern South America. Antarct J US 9:22–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayton PK, Rosenthal RJ, Mahan LC (1973) Kelp communities in the Chilean Archipelago: R/V Hero Cruise 72-5. Antarct J US 8:34–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayton PK, Rosenthal RJ, Mahan LC, Antezana T (1977) Population structure and foraging biology of the predacious Chilean asteroid Meyenaster gelatinosus and the escape biology of its prey. Mar Biol 39:361–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards DC, Conover DO, Sutter F (1982) Mobile predators and the structure of marine intertidal communities. Ecology 63:1175–1180

    Google Scholar 

  • Hockey PAR, Bosman AL (1988) Stabilizing processes in bird-prey interactions on rocky shores. In: Vannini M, Chelazzi G (eds) Behavioural adaptations to intertidal life. Plenum Press, New York (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy RC (1936) Oceanic birds of South America, vol II. Macmillan, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsberg GE (1983) Avian ecological energetics. In: Farner DS, King JR, Parkes KC (eds) Avian biology, vol 7. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, 7700, Rondebosch, South Africa

    P. A. R. Hockey

Authors
  1. P. A. R. Hockey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hockey, P.A.R. Kelp gulls Larus dominicanus as predators in kelp Macrocystis pyrifera beds. Oecologia 76, 155–157 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379614

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379614

Key words

  • Kelp gulls
  • Gaimardia
  • Kelp
  • Predation
  • Energy flow