scholarly journals Genetic structure of declining chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) populations from South Shetland Islands (Antarctica)

Polar Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1681-1689 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Korczak-Abshire ◽  
K. J. Chwedorzewska ◽  
P. Wąsowicz ◽  
P. T. Bednarek
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarcticus

Morphometric variation in chinstrap penguins: molecular sexing and discriminant functions in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaqueline Brummelhaus ◽  
Victor Hugo Valiati ◽  
Maria Virginia Petry
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Discriminant Function ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Molecular Sexing ◽  
Morphometric Variation ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarcticus ◽  
Breeding Seasons

AbstractChinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) show little sexual dimorphism and sexing by direct observation can be difficult. Through molecular techniques, male and female adults were identified at Stinker Point, Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands, in the 2011–12 and 2012–13 breeding seasons. In the assessment of sexual dimorphism using morphological characteristics, males were 6.0–9.4% larger than females. From the most significant morphological measurements, a discriminant function was formulated that classified 80.6% of the birds correctly. In addition, our data on bill length and depth were compared with those in the literature to evaluate sexual dimorphism between different breeding locations and to test the performance of the discriminant function. There were no differences in sexual dimorphism between breeding locations. However, the discriminant function should be used with caution because some penguins may be misclassified. Therefore, when there is doubt about the accuracy of morphometric approaches, application of molecular sexing techniques is recommended.

scholarly journals Using Fixed-Wing UAV for Detecting and Mapping the Distribution and Abundance of Penguins on the South Shetlands Islands, Antarctica

Drones ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pfeifer ◽  
Barbosa ◽  
Mustafa ◽  
Peter ◽  
Brenning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Austral Summer ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Total Abundance ◽  
The South ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Exact Position ◽  
South Shetlands

Antarctic marine ecosystems undergo enormous changes, presumably due to climate change and fishery. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have an unprecedented potential for measuring these changes by mapping indicator species such as penguins even in remote areas. We used a battery-powered fixed-wing UAV to survey colonies along a 30-km stretch of the remote coast of southwest King George Island and northwest Nelson Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) during the austral summer 2016/17. With multiple flights, we covered a total distance of 317 km. We determined the exact position of 14 chinstrap penguin colonies, including two small unknown colonies, with a total abundance of 35,604 adults. To model the number of occupied nests based on the number of adults counted in the UAV imagery we used data derived from terrestrial time-lapse imagery. The comparison with previous studies revealed a decline in the total abundance of occupied nests. However, we also found four chinstrap penguin colonies that have grown since the 1980s against the general trend on the South Shetland Islands. The results proved the suitability of the use of small and lightweight fixed-wing UAVs with electric engines for mapping penguin colonies in remote areas in the Antarctic.

Pygoscelis penguin diets on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, with a special focus on the krill Euphausia superba

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Panasiuk ◽  
Justyna Wawrzynek-Borejko ◽  
Aleksandra Musiał ◽  
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire
Keyword(s):  
Euphausia Superba ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
King George Island ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarcticus ◽  
South Shetlands ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractIn the krill-based ecosystem of the Antarctic, fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of Euphausia superba may have strong impacts on predator populations; thus, it is crucial to observe the feeding ecology of Antarctic predators, especially in the light of climate change and increasing human pressure. We determined the composition of euphausiid species in diet samples collected from Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguins on King George Island (South Shetlands Islands) during a breeding season. For all three penguin species, euphausiids (mainly E. superba) represented almost the entirety of researched stomach samples (i.e. 99.9% in the case of Adélie and chinstrap penguins), while gentoo penguins also proved to feed on fish (99.4% krill; 0.5% fish). Analysed material differed in the size of eaten E. superba specimens, with the smallest crustaceans consumed by Adélie penguins. Furthermore, we found differences in the ratio of consumed krill and krill size. Such disparities may be a result of sex-based differences and slight differences in feeding areas between the birds. Additionally, we noted some fragments of plastic debris in the investigated penguin diet samples.

Populations of breeding birds in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Gil-Delgado ◽  
J. González-Solís ◽  
A. Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Gentoo Penguin ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Giant Petrel ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Kelp Gull ◽  
Livingston Island ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Southern Giant Petrel ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractData about breeding populations of birds in the Antarctica are rare and fragmented. Thus, information about the status of the breeding populations of Antarctic birds is crucial given the current scenario of climate change, which is particularly acute in Antarctica. This paper presents new information about the populations of the Antarctic tern Sterna vittata, the kelp gull Larus dominicanus, the southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus, the Antarctic skua Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi, the chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antarctica and the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands). We used line transects counts to estimate both densities and numbers of nests of the different species. We estimate that there are 398.96 birds km-2 of southern giant petrels (2793 individuals), 62.4 birds km-2 of Antarctic tern (3746 individuals) and 269.1 birds km-2 of kelp gull (1884 individuals). Furthermore, we found 15 nests of Antarctic skua in 25 km2, from which we can estimate that 60–91 birds must breed on Byers Peninsula. We also censused two colonies of gentoo penguins (3000 and 1200 pairs) and 50 pairs of chinstrap. Compared to previous estimates, gentoo penguins seem to have increased whereas chinstrap penguin have decreased. Finally, the populations of Antarctic tern, southern giant petrel and kelp gull have stabilized or slightly increased.

Recent decrease in chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) populations at two of Admiralty Bay’s islets on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Polar Biology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 659-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Sander ◽  
Tatiana Coelho Balbão ◽  
Michael John Polito ◽  
Erli Schneider Costa ◽  
Ana Paula Bertoldi Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
King George Island ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica

The over-winter movements of a chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)

Polar Record ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 34 (189) ◽  
pp. 107-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory P. Wilson ◽  
Boris M. Culik ◽  
Piotr Kosiorek ◽  
Dieter Adelung
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
The South ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pack Ice ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
South Sandwich Islands

AbstractA single chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica), which had moulted at the South Shetland Islands, was subsequently tracked during 120 days at sea in the austral winter using a global location system (geolocation) based on light intensity. The bird moved east along the Scotia Ridge to a point approximately 300 km west of the South Sandwich Islands and approximately 1600 km away from the colony in which it had moulted. It spent more than 60% of its time in open water north of the edge of the pack ice.

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