THE IMPACTS AND INTERACTIONS OF HUMAN DISTURBANCE ON REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN WESTERN GULLS

Lilamarie A Bowen; Cal Poly Humboldt; LB244@Humboldt.edu; Dr. Dan Barton

Human disturbances can negatively affect wildlife by causing stress, altering behavior, or impacting populations through changes in survival or productivity. Colonial-nesting seabirds are of particular concern due to population declines and their gregarious and conspicuous nature, which may attract human visitors. However, effects of nearby human activities, though frequently negative, could be neutral or even positive through phenomena like habituation to human activities or subsidization by human-supplied food sources. I tested for disturbance impacts by comparing reproductive success at two colonies of Western Gulls with different exposure to human activity and proximity to food subsidies. I estimated nest and fledging success and observed parental care behaviors at 110 nests from May – September 2022. Differences between colonies may indicate that Western Gulls’ reproductive success is impacted by proximity to human activity, with potential long-term implications. Preliminary results of proportionate nest success suggest that the colony with lower exposure to human activity had higher success (0.816) than the more frequently exposed colony (0.583). I will present results from logistic exposure models testing whether observed differences can be explained by colony, parental attendance, or other variables. These findings can support managers charged with the protection of marine wildlife in creating effective visitor guidelines.

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