Like many gulls, Glaucous Gulls (Larus hyperboreus) are believed to benefit from association with human activity, primarily through consuming garbage (an easy, abundant, high-calorie food source).  Glaucous Gulls are also major predators in the Arctic and as such have the potential to affect population dynamics of a variety of prey species, including threatened birds.  Development of the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska is continuing (especially for oil production), so more food waste may become available.  If this increases populations of scavengers such as gulls, and if this translates into higher predation pressure on natural prey species, the persistence of species that are already vulnerable may be further threatened.

My study was the first in northern Alaska to examine how access to garbage may benefit these gulls and what prey species may be affected by an increase in the local gull population.  I recorded gull diet and reproduction at several colonies in industrial, residential, and undeveloped areas of northern Alaska.  I found a positive relationship between the amount of garbage in diet and the number of chicks produced per pair, suggesting that garbage may cause gull population growth.  About half of Glaucous Gulls disperse to breed away from their natal site, so those "extra" offspring will grow up to eat natural food (rather than garbage) and therefore add to predation pressure on prey species (including lemmings/voles, birds, and fish).  I was able to identify about 30 bird species (eggs, chicks, and adults of shorebirds, waterfowl, ptarmigan, and songbirds) in gull diet samples, half of which are declining or otherwise of conservation concern.  Garbage management practices such as incinerating garbage could help limit the benefit gulls receive from current or future development, thus helping to protect the sensitive prey species.