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Chinstrap penguins alter foraging and diving behavior in response to the size of their principle prey, Antarctic krill

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Abstract

Penguins may exhibit plasticity in their diving and foraging behaviors in response to changes in prey availability. Chinstrap penguins are dependent predators of Antarctic krill in the Scotia Sea region, but krill populations have fluctuated in recent years. We examined the diet of chinstrap penguins at Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, in relation to their diving and foraging behavior using time-depth recorders over six breeding seasons: 2002–2007. When krill were smaller, more chinstrap penguins consumed fish. In these years, chinstrap penguins often exhibited a shift to deep dives after sundown, and then resumed a shallower pattern at sunrise. These night dives were unexpectedly deep (up to 110 m) and mean night dive depths sometimes exceeded those from the daytime. The average size of krill in each year was negatively correlated to mean night dive depths and the proportion of foraging trips taken overnight. Based on these patterns, we suggest that when krill were small, penguins increasingly targeted myctophid fish. The average krill size was negatively correlated to the time chinstrap penguins spent foraging which suggests that foraging on smaller krill and fish incurred a cost: more time was spent at sea foraging.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to those who conducted the fieldwork associated with this study. The fieldwork was supervised by I. Saxer, L. Shill, M. Kappes, E. Leung, and R. Orben. Logistical support was provided by the US AMLR program and by the National Science Foundation’s US Antarctic Program and Raytheon Polar Services. Helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript were provided by C. Reiss, M. Goebel, M. Polito and three anonymous reviewers. This research was funded by the US AMLR program and by the Lenfest Ocean Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts. All studies were conducted according to US law, and under approved animal use protocols of the University of California San Diego Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

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  1. Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

    Aileen K. Miller & Wayne Z. Trivelpiece

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  1. Aileen K. Miller
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  2. Wayne Z. Trivelpiece
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Correspondence to Aileen K. Miller.

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Communicated by U. Sommer.

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Miller, A.K., Trivelpiece, W.Z. Chinstrap penguins alter foraging and diving behavior in response to the size of their principle prey, Antarctic krill. Mar Biol 154, 201–208 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0909-z

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