A study from the Doñana Biological Station has developed a seed dispersal model based on the movement of gulls monitored by GPS telemetry, while feeding in rice fields in Andalusia, South-West Spain.
Modelling shows that gulls can disperse weeds over large distances and between different hábitats, causing the exchange of weed and alien plant species between agricultural crops and natural areas.

Researchers from the Doñana Biological Station assessed the spatial variation in concentrations of ten metals in faeces of the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) wintering at seven localities in South-West Spain. They found high concentrations of metals in gull faeces, with several elements (arsenic, copper, molybdenum, lead and zinc) locally exceeding (by 2 to 11 times) derived Lowest Effect Level (LEL) values.

The lesser black-backed gull is now the second most abundant wintering waterbird in Andalusian wetlands. Many birds are fitted with GPS loggers on their breeding grounds in northern Europe, and using 42 tagged individuals we studied the connectivity network between different sites and habitats in Andalusia.