The impact of breeding Yellow-Legged Gulls on vegetation cover and plant composition of Grey Dune habitats

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

Chemical characterization of the cultivar ‘Vinhão’ (vitis vinifera L.) grape pomace towards its circular valorisation and its health benefits

Among the most significant and productive agroindustries worldwide is the wine business. This agroindustry generates millions of tons of biological residues, carrying huge negative impacts related to the disposal of these materials into the environment. Nevertheless, these byproducts present a high potential for developing new products, contributing to the circularity of this economic sector. In this study, the chemical composition of the grape pomace (GP) obtained from the vinification process (2018 campaign).) of red grapes of the Portuguese cultivar ‘Vinhão’ was determined. The analyses of the pH, proximate composition (moisture content, proteins, lipids, ashes, fibers, and carbohydrates), the total phenolic compounds (Folin Ciocalteau method), and the mineral and fatty acid composition were carried out in triplicate, and the results expressed on a dry matter basis. After dehydration of ‘Vinhão’ GP, this very acidic by-product showed the following proximate composition (%): moisture, 3.43 ± 0.86; ash, 8.20 ± 0.017; lipids, 3.38 ± 0.11; proteins, 9.85 ± 0.51 and 3.28 ± 0.04; dietary fiber, 49.37 ± 1.75; carbohydrates, 35.47 ± 2.35. The content of total phenolic compounds was 35.35 ± 3.61 mg GAE/g. GP also revealed to be an excellent source of K, Ca, Fe, Mn, as well as of arachidic acid. The results obtained in this study suggest that GP from the Portuguese cultivar ‘Vinhão’ is feasible to enrich the nutritional value of food and feed. Moreover, the integration of pomace flour in food and feed is a viable option for reducing the environmental impact and adding value to the by-product, responding to the circular economy challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio