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Diet of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Stranger Point (25 de Mayo/King George Island, Antarctica) over a 13-year period (2003–2015)

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Abstract

Knowledge of the feeding ecology of a species at local level is fundamental to determine the relationship between the fluctuations in local marine resources and population dynamics of predators. In this study, we examined the diet of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) during the crèche stage at the Stranger Point colony, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, over a 13-year period (2002/2003–2014/2015). Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) was the dominant prey for Adélie penguins during the crèche period (contribution: 100% of occurrence and >99.7% by mass). The fish component in the diet represented a small proportion of the total prey (contribution: from 4 to 24% of occurrence but <0.15% by mass). A marked inter-annual variability in the mass of stomach contents, the krill size consumed and the proportion of juvenile krill was observed. Moreover, a possible recruitment event of krill was recorded. A negative relationship between the size of krill in the diet and breeding success was found, suggesting that population dynamics of krill also reflected changes in the local availability of this crustacean. This work is the first long-term study of dietary parameters of Adélie penguins for the Stranger Point colony.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all field and laboratory assistants that helped collecting and analysing samples associated with this study. The permit for this work was granted by the Dirección Nacional del Antártico (Environmental Office). The FONCYT – Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (Grant: PICTO 2010-0111) and the Instituto Antártico Argentino—Dirección Nacional del Antártico (PI-05) provided financial and logistical support. We also thank Dr Christian Reiss, two anonymous reviewers and editors for their helpful comments and suggestions on improving the manuscript. Finally, we are very grateful to Ana Gentile who improved the English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento Biología de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, 25 de Mayo 1143, B1650CSP, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Mariana A. Juáres, Ricardo Casaux, Aldo Corbalán, Gabriel Blanco, G. Ariel Pereira, Pablo J. Perchivale, Néstor R. Coria & M. Mercedes Santos

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aire, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Mariana A. Juáres

  3. Laboratorios Anexos, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 64 No 3, B1904AMA, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Mariana A. Juáres, Pablo J. Perchivale & M. Mercedes Santos

  4. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CONICET–UNPSJB), Roca 780, Esquel, 9200, Chubut, Argentina

    Ricardo Casaux

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  1. Mariana A. Juáres
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  2. Ricardo Casaux
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  3. Aldo Corbalán
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  7. Néstor R. Coria
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  8. M. Mercedes Santos
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Correspondence to Mariana A. Juáres.

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Juáres, M.A., Casaux, R., Corbalán, A. et al. Diet of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Stranger Point (25 de Mayo/King George Island, Antarctica) over a 13-year period (2003–2015). Polar Biol 41, 303–311 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2191-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2191-3

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