First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies
In 1948, a small colony of emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri was discovered breeding on Emperor Island (67 degrees 51' 52 '' S, 68 degrees 42' 20 '' W), in the Dion Islands, close to the West Antarctic Peninsula (Stonehouse 1952). When discovered, the colony compris...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:14047 2023-05-15T13:45:11+02:00 First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies Trathan, Philip N. Fretwell, Peter T. Stonehouse, Bernard 2011 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/1/journal.pone.0014738.pdf http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0014738 en eng Public Library Science https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/1/journal.pone.0014738.pdf Trathan, Philip N. orcid:0000-0001-6673-9930 Fretwell, Peter T. orcid:0000-0002-1988-5844 Stonehouse, Bernard. 2011 First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies. PLoS One, 6 (2), e14738. 11, pp. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738> Meteorology and Climatology Zoology Ecology and Environment Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2011 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738 2023-02-04T19:28:57Z In 1948, a small colony of emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri was discovered breeding on Emperor Island (67 degrees 51' 52 '' S, 68 degrees 42' 20 '' W), in the Dion Islands, close to the West Antarctic Peninsula (Stonehouse 1952). When discovered, the colony comprised approximately 150 breeding pairs; these numbers were maintained until 1970, after which time the colony showed a continuous decline. By 1999 there were fewer than 20 pairs, and in 2009 high-resolution aerial photography revealed no remaining trace of the colony. Here we relate the decline and loss of the Emperor Island colony to a well-documented rise in local mean annual air temperature and coincident decline in seasonal sea ice duration. The loss of this colony provides empirical support for recent studies (Barbraud & Weimerskirch 2001; Jenouvrier et al 2005, 2009; Ainley et al 2010; Barber-Meyer et al 2005) that have highlighted the vulnerability of emperor penguins to changes in sea ice duration and distribution. These studies suggest that continued climate change is likely to impact upon future breeding success and colony viability for this species. Furthermore, a recent circumpolar study by Fretwell & Trathan (2009) highlighted those Antarctic coastal regions where colonies appear most vulnerable to such changes. Here we examine which other colonies might be at risk, discussing various ecological factors, some previously unexplored, that may also contribute to future declines. The implications of this are important for future modelling work and for understanding which colonies actually are most vulnerable. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Aptenodytes forsteri Dion Islands Emperor Island Emperor penguins Sea ice Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Stonehouse ENVELOPE(-68.083,-68.083,-67.350,-67.350) Dion ENVELOPE(-68.702,-68.702,-67.875,-67.875) Emperor Island ENVELOPE(-68.710,-68.710,-67.865,-67.865) Dion Islands ENVELOPE(-68.717,-68.717,-67.867,-67.867) PLoS ONE 6 2 e14738 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
topic |
Meteorology and Climatology Zoology Ecology and Environment |
spellingShingle |
Meteorology and Climatology Zoology Ecology and Environment Trathan, Philip N. Fretwell, Peter T. Stonehouse, Bernard First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
topic_facet |
Meteorology and Climatology Zoology Ecology and Environment |
description |
In 1948, a small colony of emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri was discovered breeding on Emperor Island (67 degrees 51' 52 '' S, 68 degrees 42' 20 '' W), in the Dion Islands, close to the West Antarctic Peninsula (Stonehouse 1952). When discovered, the colony comprised approximately 150 breeding pairs; these numbers were maintained until 1970, after which time the colony showed a continuous decline. By 1999 there were fewer than 20 pairs, and in 2009 high-resolution aerial photography revealed no remaining trace of the colony. Here we relate the decline and loss of the Emperor Island colony to a well-documented rise in local mean annual air temperature and coincident decline in seasonal sea ice duration. The loss of this colony provides empirical support for recent studies (Barbraud & Weimerskirch 2001; Jenouvrier et al 2005, 2009; Ainley et al 2010; Barber-Meyer et al 2005) that have highlighted the vulnerability of emperor penguins to changes in sea ice duration and distribution. These studies suggest that continued climate change is likely to impact upon future breeding success and colony viability for this species. Furthermore, a recent circumpolar study by Fretwell & Trathan (2009) highlighted those Antarctic coastal regions where colonies appear most vulnerable to such changes. Here we examine which other colonies might be at risk, discussing various ecological factors, some previously unexplored, that may also contribute to future declines. The implications of this are important for future modelling work and for understanding which colonies actually are most vulnerable. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Trathan, Philip N. Fretwell, Peter T. Stonehouse, Bernard |
author_facet |
Trathan, Philip N. Fretwell, Peter T. Stonehouse, Bernard |
author_sort |
Trathan, Philip N. |
title |
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
title_short |
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
title_full |
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
title_fullStr |
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
title_full_unstemmed |
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
title_sort |
first recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies |
publisher |
Public Library Science |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/1/journal.pone.0014738.pdf http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0014738 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-68.083,-68.083,-67.350,-67.350) ENVELOPE(-68.702,-68.702,-67.875,-67.875) ENVELOPE(-68.710,-68.710,-67.865,-67.865) ENVELOPE(-68.717,-68.717,-67.867,-67.867) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Stonehouse Dion Emperor Island Dion Islands |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Stonehouse Dion Emperor Island Dion Islands |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Aptenodytes forsteri Dion Islands Emperor Island Emperor penguins Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Aptenodytes forsteri Dion Islands Emperor Island Emperor penguins Sea ice |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14047/1/journal.pone.0014738.pdf Trathan, Philip N. orcid:0000-0001-6673-9930 Fretwell, Peter T. orcid:0000-0002-1988-5844 Stonehouse, Bernard. 2011 First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies. PLoS One, 6 (2), e14738. 11, pp. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014738 |
container_title |
PLoS ONE |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
e14738 |
_version_ |
1766215651143188480 |