SUMMARY SUMMARY

• Main Authors: Ilka Zimmer, Einschränkungen Bei, Der Nahrungssuche, Und Deren, Gutachter Dr. J. Plötz
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Antarctic; Pointe-Géologie; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; antarcticus; Emperor penguins; High Latitude Breeding; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.618.3558; http://elib.suub.uni-bremen.de/diss/docs/00010841.pdf

Emperor penguins are the largest living penguin and the only bird species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, on sea-ice around the Antarctic continent. They are fundamentally adapted to the high Antarctic sea-ice environment, showing radical breeding and foraging behaviour. High latitude-breeding exposes emperor penguins to extreme changes in sea-ice cover and light conditions over the course of the year, both factors that are likely to affect foraging success. This thesis examines some of the ecological and physiological constraints on emperor penguin foraging behaviour using birds from Pointe Géologie, Antarctica and considers how these birds modulate behaviour to cope with their extraordinary environment. The trophic impact of emperor penguins on squid communities at Pointe Géologie was examined by analysing squid beaks obtained from the stomach of moribund chicks. Emperor penguins consumed primarily four squid species (Psychroteuthis glacialis, Kondakovia longimana, Gonatus antarcticus, Alluroteuthis antarcticus). Beak nitrogen stable isotope ratios (2.5–8 ‰ į15N) indicated that squids consumed by the emperor penguin cover about two trophic levels. Emperor penguins