Analysis of the breeding biology of the adelie penguin at two Antarctic localities

SANTOS MM, CORIA NR, CARLINI AR, JUARES MA, LIBERTELLI, MM, NEGRETE J, MENNUCCI JA.

Conferencia; XXXI SCAR Open Science Conference; 2010

The Adelie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae is a circum-antarctic continental species, with a distribution that extends to the Scotia Arc. It is closely linked with ice and the winter marginal ice zone. In this study we compared three population parameters between two areas potentially subject to different seasonal conditions. From 1995/96 to 1998/99, arrival weight, breeding population size and breeding success were monitored in two differentlocations: Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula and Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands. The parameters were taken according to CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program methods. Arrival weights differ between years but not between localities within each year.Moreover, breeding population size varied in the same direction despite of having different magnitude. These comparisons suggest that the two penguin populations shared a similar over-winter habitat. Reproductive success varied between localities and years. In particular,the breeding success taken as the number of chicks creched per chick hatched was higher in Laurie Island for the four years studied. Since this pre-creching period is the time when chicks are most likely to die from starvation, these results could be reflecting a better(although variable) local availability of food. Pygoscelis adeliae is a circum-antarctic continental species, with a distribution that extends to the Scotia Arc. It is closely linked with ice and the winter marginal ice zone. In this study we compared three population parameters between two areas potentially subject to different seasonal conditions. From 1995/96 to 1998/99, arrival weight, breeding population size and breeding success were monitored in two different locations: Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula and Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands. The parameters were taken according to CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program methods. Arrival weights differ between years but not between localities within each year.Moreover, breeding population size varied in the same direction despite of having differentmagnitude. These comparisons suggest that the two penguin populations shared a similar over-winter habitat. Reproductive success varied between localities and years. In particular the breeding success taken as the number of chicks creched per chick hatched was higher Laurie Island for the four years studied. Since this pre-creching period is the time whenchicks are most likely to die from starvation, these results could be reflecting a better(although variable) local availability of food.