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Late Holocene colonisation of snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) of the Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica

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Abstract

The effect of long-term environmental changes on sea bird populations with respect to changes in their breeding and foraging habitats is difficult to assess due to the scarcity of records that go beyond direct observational data. Information on the past distribution of snow petrel Pagodroma nivea (Forster) breeding colonies can be obtained from deposits of their proventricular stomach oil, so-called Antarctic mumiyo. In our study, we present 14C ages of mumiyo deposits from northern and southern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica, to reconstruct the timing of snow petrel occupation at these inland breeding localities. 14C ages indicate a minimum age of snow petrel occupation of 3680 cal year bp. The colonisation post-dates the de-glacial local and regional ice sheet retreat by several thousand years. This either suggests limited accessibility of the inland sites or a lack of suitable nesting locations prior to the Mid-Holocene and/or changes in the marine habitat affecting access to the foraging grounds. 14C ages of mumiyo deposits from Vestfold and Larsemann Hills to the east of Prydz Bay point to a regional pattern of snow petrel dispersal starting in the Mid-Holocene. This suggests environmental changes in the foraging habitat to be the most likely drivers for extending breeding site locations of snow petrels to more inland ice-free areas in the Prydz Bay Region.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in the Framework of the Priority Program “Antarctic Research with comparative investigations in Arctic ice areas” by Grant BE 4764/4–1. Sample collection in the Northern Prince Charles Mountains was funded by the Australian Antarctic Division (Grant AAS1071). Thanks to Gary Kuehn and the PCMEGA-field guides, who surveyed the breeding sites and took the mumiyo samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str. 49a, 50674, Cologne, Germany

    Sonja Berg

  2. Institute of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Duanne A. White

  3. Alfred-Wegener Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Potsdam, Germany

    Wolf-Dieter Hermichen

  4. Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS, Australia

    Louise Emmerson

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  1. Sonja Berg
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  2. Duanne A. White
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  3. Wolf-Dieter Hermichen
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  4. Louise Emmerson
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Correspondence to Sonja Berg.

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Berg, S., White, D.A., Hermichen, WD. et al. Late Holocene colonisation of snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) of the Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica. Polar Biol 42, 1167–1173 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02509-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02509-0

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