Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls

Being faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in...

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Authors: Van Toor, Mariëlle L., Arriero Higueras, Elena, Holland, Richard A., Huttunen, Markku J., Juvaste, Risto, Müller, Inge, Thorup, Kasper, Wikelski, Martin, Safi, Kamran
Format: article
Publication Date:2017
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/17976
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17976
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:598.243
Ecological specialization
Flexibility
Habitat use
Niche comparison
Species distribution model
Translocation
Aves
2401.20 Ornitología
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oai_identifier_str oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/17976
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gullsVan Toor, Mariëlle L.Arriero Higueras, ElenaHolland, Richard A.Huttunen, Markku J.Juvaste, RistoMüller, IngeThorup, KasperWikelski, MartinSafi, Kamran598.243Ecological specializationFlexibilityHabitat useNiche comparisonSpecies distribution modelTranslocationAves2401.20 OrnitologíaBeing faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in which ecological flexibility might have enabled them to expand their range considerably, and to colonize urban environments. However, on a population level both flexibility and local adaptation lead to signatures of differential habitat use in different environments, and these processes are not easily distinguished. Using the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) as a system, we put both flexibility and local adaptation to a test. We compare habitat use between two spatially separated populations, and use a translocation experiment during which individuals were released into novel environment. The experiment revealed that on a population-level flexibility best explains the differences in habitat use between the two populations. We think that our results suggest that the range expansion and huge success of this species complex could be a result of its broad ecological niche and flexibility in the exploitation of resources. However, this also advises caution when using species distribution models to extrapolate habitat use across space.The Royal SocietyUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20172017-01-0120172017-01-01journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17976reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Atribución 3.0 Españahttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/179762026-06-02T12:44:21Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
title Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
spellingShingle Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
Van Toor, Mariëlle L.
598.243
Ecological specialization
Flexibility
Habitat use
Niche comparison
Species distribution model
Translocation
Aves
2401.20 Ornitología
title_short Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
title_full Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
title_fullStr Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
title_full_unstemmed Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
title_sort Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Van Toor, Mariëlle L.
Arriero Higueras, Elena
Holland, Richard A.
Huttunen, Markku J.
Juvaste, Risto
Müller, Inge
Thorup, Kasper
Wikelski, Martin
Safi, Kamran
author Van Toor, Mariëlle L.
author_facet Van Toor, Mariëlle L.
Arriero Higueras, Elena
Holland, Richard A.
Huttunen, Markku J.
Juvaste, Risto
Müller, Inge
Thorup, Kasper
Wikelski, Martin
Safi, Kamran
author_role author
author2 Arriero Higueras, Elena
Holland, Richard A.
Huttunen, Markku J.
Juvaste, Risto
Müller, Inge
Thorup, Kasper
Wikelski, Martin
Safi, Kamran
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 598.243
Ecological specialization
Flexibility
Habitat use
Niche comparison
Species distribution model
Translocation
Aves
2401.20 Ornitología
topic 598.243
Ecological specialization
Flexibility
Habitat use
Niche comparison
Species distribution model
Translocation
Aves
2401.20 Ornitología
description Being faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in which ecological flexibility might have enabled them to expand their range considerably, and to colonize urban environments. However, on a population level both flexibility and local adaptation lead to signatures of differential habitat use in different environments, and these processes are not easily distinguished. Using the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) as a system, we put both flexibility and local adaptation to a test. We compare habitat use between two spatially separated populations, and use a translocation experiment during which individuals were released into novel environment. The experiment revealed that on a population-level flexibility best explains the differences in habitat use between the two populations. We think that our results suggest that the range expansion and huge success of this species complex could be a result of its broad ecological niche and flexibility in the exploitation of resources. However, this also advises caution when using species distribution models to extrapolate habitat use across space.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017
2017-01-01
2017
2017-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17976
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17976
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Atribución 3.0 España
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Atribución 3.0 España
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv The Royal Society
publisher.none.fl_str_mv The Royal Society
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,301603

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