Spatial and temporal variation in the diet of the gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) at Kerguelen Islands

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Lescroel, Amélie, Ridoux, Vincent, Bost, Charles-André
• Other Authors: Centre d'écologie et physiologie énergétiques (CEPE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Recherche sur les Ecosystèmes Littoraux Anthropisés (CRELA), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2004
• Subjects: [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Kerguelen; Kerguelen Islands; Gentoo penguin; Polar Biology; Pygoscelis papua
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00187021; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-003-0571-3

10 pages International audience Benthic divers are dependent on local resources and may therefore adopt different foraging strategies to cope with their energetic requirements in varying situations. We investigated the diet of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) at Kerguelen Islands, comparing its spatial and temporal variations with the general prey distribution. The study was conducted at four sites over 2 years. In total, 212 stomach contents were collected over the entire breeding season. The diet was composed mainly of neritic fish and crustaceans, with important spatial and seasonal variations. Fish dominated the diet at localities facing the open sea (from 38.0% to 94.6% by mass), whereas crustaceans dominated at the more protected site (84.3% by mass). Fish were more abundant in the winter diet and Euphausia vallentini, the major crustacean species, was more abundant in the summer diet. No inter-year variations were detected. These results are consistent with local prey availability, and highlight the large plasticity of the gentoo penguin diet and foraging behaviour.