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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2020

Anna Panasiuk Open the ORCID record for Anna Panasiuk [Opens in a new window] ,
Justyna Wawrzynek-Borejko Open the ORCID record for Justyna Wawrzynek-Borejko [Opens in a new window] ,
Aleksandra Musiał Open the ORCID record for Aleksandra Musiał [Opens in a new window]  and
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire Open the ORCID record for Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire [Opens in a new window]
Anna Panasiuk*
Affiliation:
University of Gdansk, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, Institute of Oceanography, Department of Marine Plankton Research, J.M. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378Gdynia, Poland
Justyna Wawrzynek-Borejko
Affiliation:
University of Gdansk, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, Institute of Oceanography, Department of Marine Plankton Research, J.M. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378Gdynia, Poland
Aleksandra Musiał
Affiliation:
University of Gdansk, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, Institute of Oceanography, Department of Marine Plankton Research, J.M. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378Gdynia, Poland
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire
Affiliation:
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5a, 02-106Warsaw, Poland
*
oceapc@ug.edu.pl
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Abstract

In 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.

Keywords

Antarctic ecosystemEuphausia superbaingested plasticsPygoscelissex-based differences
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 21 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

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