Biological characteristics of euphausiids preyed upon by Adélie penguins in relation to sea-ice conditions in Lu¨ tzow-Holm Bay, Antarctica. Polar Biology 25
Abstract: Adelie penguins were used as a biological sampler from late December 1995 to late January 1996 to study biological characteristics of euphausiids in Liitzow-Holm Bay, which is generally covered with fast sea-ice even in summer. Stomach contents and diving behavior of the penguins were exam...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2002
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.621.5959 http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~penguin/polarbiosci/issues/pdf/2000-Endo.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract: Adelie penguins were used as a biological sampler from late December 1995 to late January 1996 to study biological characteristics of euphausiids in Liitzow-Holm Bay, which is generally covered with fast sea-ice even in summer. Stomach contents and diving behavior of the penguins were examined. Euphausiids accounted for 73 % of total wet weight of stomach contents, and fish 27%. Among euphausiids, Euphausia superba occupied 83 %, and E. crystallorophias 17 %. Females occupied 96 % of the total number of E. superba, males only 4%. E. crystallorophias consisted of 73 % females, 10 % males and 17 % juveniles. Adelie penguins might eat nutritionally superior female euphausiids selectively, and/or they could not catch male euphausiids which can swim faster. It was suggested that those individuals which dived deeper ate more euphausiids than fish, and larger E. superba. |
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