Penguin population dynamics for the past 8500 years at Gardner Island, Vestfold Hills

Abstract In order to reconstruct past changes in penguin populations we performed geochemical analyses on a penguin ornithogenic sediment core DG4 retrieved from a lake catchment on Gardner Island, Vestfold Hills. P, Se, F, S, As, Sr and Cu in DG4 were identified as the bio-element assemblage by R-c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Authors: Huang, Tao, Sun, Liguang, Wang, Yuhong, Liu, Xiaodong, Zhu, Renbin
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2009
Subjects:
Geology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Oceanography
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Science
Ross Sea
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102009990332
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102009990332
Description
Summary:Abstract In order to reconstruct past changes in penguin populations we performed geochemical analyses on a penguin ornithogenic sediment core DG4 retrieved from a lake catchment on Gardner Island, Vestfold Hills. P, Se, F, S, As, Sr and Cu in DG4 were identified as the bio-element assemblage by R-clustering analyses on the elemental concentrations and comparisons with those in bedrock and fresh penguin guano. Factor analysis on the levels of these bio-elements in the core permitted a reconstruction of variations in historical penguin populations at Gardner Island spanning the past 8500 years. The penguin population showed significant fluctuations, reaching its highest density between 4700–2400 calibrated years before present. This coincides with evidence for a late Holocene warm period in the Vestfold Hills, similar to that associated with the late Holocene penguin optimum recorded in the Ross Sea and Antarctic Peninsula regions.

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