Peña Lastra, Saúl de laPérez Alberti, AugustoOtero Pérez, Xosé Lois2022-04-052022-04-052021Chemosphere 275 (2021) 130077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130077http://hdl.handle.net/10347/27903Seabirds form large colonies during the reproductive period, producing substantial changes in coastal ecosystems. The present study quantifies the amount of N and P deposited in colonies of yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) in the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park (AINP). Based on the composition of droppings, the amount of total N (TN), total P (TP) and bioavailable P (Pbio) deposited directly on the area occupied by the colony was determined. In addition, the amount of NH3 released into the atmosphere was also estimated by applying a bioenergetic model. The results indicated that 5.35 t total N, 3.35 t total P and 1.24 t bioavailable P are deposited in the colony annually. The archipelagos that received the greatest amount of nutrients were the Cíes Islands (2.37 t TN y−1, 1.48 t TP y−1, 0.55 t Pbio y−1), Sálvora (1.94 t TN y−1, 1.22 t TP y−1, 0.55 t Pbio y−1) and Ons (1.04 t TN y−1, 0.65 TP y−1, 0.24 t Pbio y−1). Rainwater from the colonies showed higher values of nutrients than in the control plot, possibly also due to gull influence. Therefore, the yellow-legged gull colony seems to be the most important source of nutrients at a local level, exerting a clear influence on the N and P cycles in this National Park. Another aspect worth taking into consideration is that increased N and P bioavailability may have a negative effect on the conservation of rare or threatened habitats and species by promoting the expansion of non-native ruderal specieseng© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Bioavailability of nutrientsNH3 emissionsBioenergetic modelOrnitheutrophicationjournal article10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.1300770045-6535open access