Mutillod C., Baumberger T., Prudent P., Saatkamp A., Vidal Eric, Le-Mire-Pecheux L., Affre L. (2023). Yellow-legged gull populations (Larus michahellis) link the history of landfills to soil eutrophication and time-related vegetation changes on small Mediterranean islands. Science of the Total Environment, 878, 162948 [14 p.]. ISSN 0048-9697.
Titre du document
Yellow-legged gull populations (Larus michahellis) link the history of landfills to soil eutrophication and time-related vegetation changes on small Mediterranean islands
Année de publication
2023
Auteurs
Mutillod C., Baumberger T., Prudent P., Saatkamp A., Vidal Eric, Le-Mire-Pecheux L., Affre L.
Source
Science of the Total Environment, 2023,
878, 162948 [14 p.] ISSN 0048-9697
Seabird colonies have a strong influence on both the physical and chemical soil parameters and plant communities of the islands where they settle to nest. Scientists have studied the effects of the demographic explosion of seabird populations, but few have explored the long-term effects when the colonies were in decline. The aim of this study was to investigate diachronic changes over a 24 year period of soil parameters, floristic composition and plant functionnal types (Raunkiaer growth forms and Grime life strategies) up to the decrease of the number of nesting yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis Naumann, 1840) on Mediterranean islands. We used 78 permanent plots to survey the vegeta- tion and the soil parameters on 9 islands and one mainland area within the Calanques National Park (south east of France), for three periods (i.e., 1997, 2008, 2021). Since 1997, the increase of nesting gulls has caused a nitrogen and pH increase and organic carbon and C/N ratio de- crease, although the values were still higher than mainland plots without nesting gulls. This has led to changes in plant species composition e.g., higher values of N favouring the development of ruderal plant species, still present in high frequency in 2021. Furthermore, plant species highly tolerant to disturbances (i.e., R Grime strategy) in harsh environ- ments were still favoured even after the decline of gull abundance. However, both the frequency of the chamaephytes and the vegetation cover has increased with the decline of gull colony. In 2021, measures of trace elements' concentra- tions and calculation of pollution load index (Cu, Pb and Zn) reveals relatively low multi-contamination levels on the mainland and the archipelagos.On naturally oligotrophic and semi-arid Mediterranean islands, gull colonies induce a persistent alteration in soil char- acteristics that still influences plant communities (composition and functional types), 11 years after the decline in bird abundance.
Plan de classement
Etudes, transformation, conservation du milieu naturel [082]
Description Géographique
FRANCE ; MEDITERRANEE
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010088147]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010088147
