Spatial ecology of AdevÉvÖlie penguin breeding colonies : the effects of landscape, environmental variability and human activities ...

• Main Author: Bricher, PK
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: East Antarctica; Southern Ocean; Adelie penguin; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23234219; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Spatial_ecology_of_Adev_v_lie_penguin_breeding_colonies_the_effects_of_landscape_environmental_variability_and_human_activities/23234219

Adelie penguins have been widely studied as an \indicator\" species for the health of the Southern Ocean ecosystem. However the effects of climatic variability and human activities on Adelie penguin populations are poorly understood. As many of the Adelie penguin colonies used for long-term demographic studies are located near research stations there is a need to be able to disentangle the effects of human activities and environmental variability on Adelie penguin populations. This study investigates the landscape properties that drive the locations of Adelie penguin colonies in the Windmill Is East Antarctica. It also examines whether potential changes in snow cover and/or proximity to human activities best explain the varying population trends of colonies in two breeding localities. While some colonies have been abandoned or have undergone strong population decreases the populations of others have grown by more than 1000% in the past 38 years. This study uses Geographic Information Systems to generate ...