title: Kelp gulls Larus dominicanus as predators in kelp Macrocystis pyrifera beds.
abstract: Minimum daily consumption of bivalves Gaimardia sp by kelp gulls in a Macrocystis kelp bed at Porvenir, Tierra del Fuego, was calculated to be ca. 525 000 individuals, corresponding to an energy removal of ca. 21 kJ·m-2·d-1. This is far in excess of energy removal by any other higher-trophic-level predator in southern Chilean Macrocystis beds, but previous work has ignored kelp gulls as a component of the kelp bed community.
authors.affiliation: Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, 7700, Rondebosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: P A R
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hockey
keywords: Energy flow; Gaimardia; Kelp; Kelp gulls; Predation