Foraging strategies of male Adélie penguins during their first incubation trip in relation to environmental conditions

Knowledge of habitat use by top marine predatorsin response to environmental conditions is crucial in thecurrent context of global changes occurring in the SouthernOcean. We examined the at-sea locations of male Adeliepenguins ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) breeding at Dumont dUrvilleduring their first, lon...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Biology
Main Authors: Cottin, M, Raymond, B, Kato, A, Amelineau, F, Le Maho, Y, Raclot, T, Galton-Fenzi, B, Meijers, A, Ropert-Coudert, Y
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer 2012
Subjects:
Earth Sciences
Oceanography
Biological Oceanography
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Pygoscelis adeliae
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1974-x
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/78256
Description
Summary:Knowledge of habitat use by top marine predatorsin response to environmental conditions is crucial in thecurrent context of global changes occurring in the SouthernOcean. We examined the at-sea locations of male Adeliepenguins ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) breeding at Dumont dUrvilleduring their first, long incubation trip. Compared with thechick-rearing period, penguins performed longer trips, goingto oceanic waters as far as 320 km from the colony. Weobserved 3 strategies: (1) five individuals covered large distancesto the north, targeting open-ocean areas and followingthe currents of two persistent eddies; (2) five individualsforaged to the north-west, close to the Antarctic shelf slope atthe limit of the pack ice; and (3) three individuals coveredmuch shorter distances (northwards or eastwards). The foragingrange also seemed to be limited by the body conditionof the penguins before their departure to sea.

Similar Items