Territorial Defense in Gulls: Suggested Battle Plan

There is tremendous variability in the ecological and social factors that can go into shaping territorial behavior and patterns of nest settlement in animals. Our class readings explore how ecological variables can tip the cost - benefit scales. Gill and Wolf's paper Economics of feeding territoriality in sunbirds is a classic. You will see just how sensitive and responsive sunbirds can be when it comes to decision making.

In gull colonies, a high density of gulls, low supply of food, marginal habitat for choosing a nest, and threats from gull predators (heterospecific and conspecific) are just some of the variables that gulls must examine when deciding how best to defend a territory. Your reading by Butler and Janes-Butler documents that too many neighbors can have detrimental effects on reproductive success. For your class assignment, we will examine whether neighbor number is important for gulls on Appledore. The data you collect, pooled with your classmates' data, will provide a 'snap shot' of territorial events and how it relates to offspring health and survival.