Regional Differences in the Diets of Adélie and Emperor Penguins in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

To identify the dietary composition and characteristics of both Adélie ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) and Emperor ( Aptenodytes forsteri ) penguins at four breeding sites, we performed stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analysis of down samples taken from penguin chicks. Adélie Penguin chi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Seo-Yeon Hong, Jong-Ku Gal, Bo-Yeon Lee, Wu-Ju Son, Jin-Woo Jung, Hyung-Sul La, Kyung-Hoon Shin, Jeong-Hoon Kim, Sun-Yong Ha
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:
stable isotope analysis
Adélie Penguin
Emperor Penguin
Ross Sea
SIAR
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Zoology
QL1-991
Antarctic
Terra Nova Bay
Hallett
Cape Hallett
Inexpressible Island
Coulman Island
Cape Washington
Antarc*
Antarctic Krill
Antarctic silverfish
Antarctica
Aptenodytes forsteri
Emperor penguins
Euphausia superba
Pygoscelis adeliae
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092681
https://doaj.org/article/9d6ed2eb8bf64b93b9590da89abf2152
Description
Summary:To identify the dietary composition and characteristics of both Adélie ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) and Emperor ( Aptenodytes forsteri ) penguins at four breeding sites, we performed stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analysis of down samples taken from penguin chicks. Adélie Penguin chicks at Cape Hallett mostly fed on Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba 65.5 ± 3.5%), a reflection of the prevalence of that species near Cape Hallett, and no significant differences were noted between 2017 and 2018. However, Adélie Penguin chicks at Inexpressible Island, located near Terra Nova Bay, fed on both Antarctic silverfish ( Pleuragramma antarctica 42.5%) and ice krill ( Euphausia crystallorophias 47%), reflecting the high biomass observed in Terra Nova Bay. Meanwhile, no significant difference was noted between the two breeding sites of the Emperor Penguin. Emperor Penguin chicks predominantly fed on Antarctic silverfish (74.5 ± 2.1%) at both breeding sites (Cape Washington and Coulman Island), suggesting that diet preference represents the main factor influencing Emperor Penguin foraging. In contrast, the diet of the Adélie Penguin reflects presumed regional differences in prey prevalence, as inferred from available survey data.

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