The Impact of Breeding Yellow-Legged Gulls on Vegetation Cover and Plant Composition of Grey Dune Habitats

The establishment of large populations yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis in coastal and urban areas can lead to strong changes vegetation cover composition through creating physical disturbance the impacting soil quality defecation. In this study, we evaluated effects breeding on tall short plant species old (occupied for 13 years) new 3 colony sites grey dunes Algarve, southern Portugal. each site, sampling plots were used measure percentage with without gulls. by was substantially reduced increased where gulls are comparison adjacent areas. sites, there only minor differences. increase area site mostly nitrophilous (Paronychia argentea Malcolmia littorea) should be explained decrease feces deposition. Tall slow-growing Suaeda maritima Helichrysum italicum covers negatively affected. Our results showed that affected after years consecutive breeding, considered management these habitats increasing.