New Technologies Aid Understanding of the Factors Affecting Adélie Penguin Foraging

Abstract

Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), as well as substantial numbers of Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), and pelagic birds (Smith et al., 2014). Among these, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Resources (CCAMLR) has designated the Adélie penguin an “indicator species” for monitoring ecosystem structure and function in the newly designated Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (RSR-MPA). This penguin, among the best-known seabirds, has been studied for decades at multiple locations with investigations that have delved into its population history (both recent and through thousands of years), survival strategies, responses to environmental changes, and feeding ecology (summarized in Ainley, 2002, with numerous papers published thereafter). Penguin populations are increasing in the southern Ross Sea, potentially indicating a broad response to an environment being altered by climate change and increased fishing activity. Despite extensive research, our understanding of the species’ response to its changing habitat and food web is incomplete. Sea ice in the Ross Sea region has been increasing, at least until recent years, and this would be expected to affect populations of species that depend on the ice for predator avoidance and availability of New Technologies Aid Understanding of the Factors Affecting Adélie Penguin Foraging