Article
Environmental Sciences
Diane Colombelli-Negrel, Darfiana Nur, Hannah C. C. Auricht, Kenneth D. Clarke, Luke M. Mosley, Peter Dann
Summary: This study examined the impacts of the Millennium Drought on the population decline of the little penguin in Australia. The findings showed negative associations between penguin numbers and sea surface temperatures as well as river outflow, while annual penguin numbers were positively associated with southern garfish numbers and negatively associated with annual chlorophyll-a concentrations. These findings highlight the need for further research on the effects of hydrological droughts on seabird populations and improved river management.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Silvia Olmastroni, Francesco Ferretti, Lucia Burrini, Nicoletta Ademollo, Niccolo Fattorini
Summary: Based on the study on Adelie penguins in the Mid Victoria Land, Ross Sea, it was found that breeding performance did not differ between study colonies and other penguin colonies in Antarctica. Higher breeding success was observed in central nests and decreased with an increasing number of neighboring nesting skuas.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhangqin Zheng, Jing Jin, Yaguang Nie, Jihua Hao, Yulu Xue, Can Liu, Yongyan Chen, Steven D. Emslie, Xiaodong Liu
Summary: This study reconstructed the population of Adélie penguins over the past 1500 years using lacustrine sediment cores from abandoned penguin colonies in the Ross Sea. The results suggest that the population of Adélie penguins was influenced by El Niño and the Southern Annular Mode during the period of 750-1350 AD.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juliana Silva Souza, Aneta Dorota Pacyna-Kuchta, Larissa Schmauder Teixeira da Cunha, Erli Schneider Costa, Przemyslaw Niedzielski, Joao Paulo Machado Torres
Summary: Antarctic penguins are exposed to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) through their diet, with interspecific and sex-related differences observed in contamination profiles. Although concentrations were low, the study increases understanding of POPs occurrence in Antarctic penguins, highlighting concerns about the impact of anthropogenic pollutants in the region.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
M. H. Masud, M. La Mantia, P. Dabnichki
Summary: The paper discusses the evaluation of propulsion performance in swimming and flying animals, emphasizing the importance of dimensionless numbers such as the Strouhal and Reynolds numbers. By analyzing values for penguins and other species, it was found that penguins utilize efficient propulsion mechanisms and a correlation between diving abilities, flying abilities, and drag coefficient.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Frank Gotmark, Malte Andersson
Summary: The human population is projected to increase by 2.4 billion to 2100, and this poses threats to food security and biodiversity. Economic growth is often assumed to be a factor in lowering fertility rates, but this study found that fertility decline was not caused by economic development, but rather the increasing use of modern contraception. Family planning programs with information on family size and contraception offer promising strategies to achieve sustainable low fertility where it has not yet been achieved.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Samanta Dodino, Luciana Riccialdelli, Michael J. Polito, Klemens Puetz, Rebecka L. Brasso, Andrea Raya Rey
Summary: Penguins accumulate mercury due to their long life span and high trophic position. Adult penguins have higher feather mercury concentrations and isotopic values compared to juveniles, with differences in mercury concentrations between colonies linked to foraging areas. Understanding penguins' exposure to mercury is crucial for assessing the impacts on their conservation status.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michael E. Johns, Pete Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Pat Doak, Mark Lindberg, Greg A. Breed
Summary: Longitudinal studies of Cassin's auklets reveal that double brooding behavior, nest site availability, and spring upwelling conditions play significant roles in recruitment rates. The relatively stable population is maintained by sexually mature individuals who quickly fill vacant breeding sites following periods of low adult survival, emphasizing the importance of recruitment in sustaining populations of long-lived seabirds periodically affected by adverse environmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Fisheries
W. J. Sydeman, G. L. Hunt, E. K. Pikitch, J. K. Parrish, J. F. Piatt, P. D. Boersma, L. Kaufman, D. W. Anderson, S. A. Thompson, R. B. Sherley
Summary: This paper responds to Butterworth and Ross-Gillespie's comment on the impact of forage fish fisheries on the endangered African penguin and management options. The study demonstrates that their criticism of pseudo-replication is weak and emphasizes the negative effects of forage fisheries on penguin population health. Considering the depletion of sardines and the conservation crisis facing the African penguin, the paper advocates for continuing precautionary closures to facilitate population growth.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
C. Horswill, M. J. Wood, A. Manica
Summary: This study investigates the immigration dynamics of a long-lived colonial seabird and finds that the contribution of immigration to a declining population can have dramatic consequences, emphasizing the importance of temporal analyses of dispersal to protect population viability.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Diane Colombelli-Negrel, Larissa Iasiello
Summary: Investigating the relationship between penguin nest-site use and landscape characteristics can contribute to effective conservation measures. This study examined the nest-site preferences of little penguins in South Australia and found that both abiotic and biotic factors influenced their selection. The study also revealed that little penguins showed a preference for specific locations, with nests mainly located on the northern side of the island and facing east or west. Understanding penguin nest-site use is crucial for conservation efforts and population management.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. A. Padilha, G. O. Carvalho, W. Espejo, A. R. L. Pessoa, L. S. T. Cunha, E. S. Costa, J. P. M. Torres, G. Lepoint, K. Das, P. R. Dorneles
Summary: This study evaluated the levels of eighteen trace elements in feathers and eggs of five migratory species breeding on the Antarctic Peninsula, and their association with stable isotopes. It was found that the concentrations of Li and Mg in the feathers of South polar skua, which migrate to the Northern Hemisphere, were one order of magnitude higher than those of Snowy sheathbill, a southern migrant species. Feathers had higher concentrations for 11 out of 18 metals compared to eggs. The study also revealed that migration and trophic ecology influenced the concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Se in Antarctic seabird feathers.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jose E. Celis, Winfred Espejo, Gustavo Chiang, Daiki Kitamura, Shosaku Kashiwada, Nelson J. O'Driscoll
Summary: This study quantified the concentration of rare earth elements (REEs) and trace elements (TEs) in the feces of gentoo penguins. The results showed that gentoo penguins act as biovectors, transporting TEs and REEs from the sea to land via their excreta, making them an important biovector organism in Antarctic ecosystems. Further research is needed to understand the potential impacts of this process on Antarctic ecosystems.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas A. Lois, Ulises Balza, Rebecka Brasso, Samanta Dodino, Klemens Puetz, Michael J. Polito, Luciana Riccialdelli, Javier Ciancio, Petra Quillfeldt, Bettina Mahler, Andrea Raya Rey
Summary: This study reveals unusually high mercury concentrations in southern rockhopper penguins in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. The variation in mercury concentrations among colonies is primarily determined by location rather than trophic position. The findings highlight the presence of a mercury hotspot in the Patagonian Shelf, located at the southern tip of South America. Regional and colony-based seabird conservation management is necessary in the presence of high local variability and plasticity in foraging habits.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Lianjiao Yang, Yuesong Gao, Qibin Xu, Tao Huang, Wenqing Yang, Zhuding Chu, Yuhong Wang, Jianjun Wang, Liguang Sun, Zhouqing Xie
Summary: Drastic climate change poses a threat to penguins' ecological security. Previous studies have suggested that penguins disappeared from the Scott Coast around 2000 years ago due to either cooling or warming. However, recent findings show that penguin colonies were not abandoned on Dunlop Island around 2000 years ago, and there was a permanent snow/ice cover around 1700 years ago, indicating a Neoglacial cooling period. The abandonment of penguin colonies on the Scott Coast was likely caused by increased coastal sea ice and/or snow/ice accumulation during this cooling period.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andre Ancel, Robin Cristofari, Phil N. Trathan, Caroline Gilbert, Peter T. Fretwell, Michael Beaulieu
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2017)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rina Geiger, Michael Beaulieu, Kristin Franke, Klaus Fischer
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Camille Le Guen, Akiko Kato, Ben Raymond, Christophe Barbraud, Michael Beaulieu, Charles-Andre Bost, Karine Delord, Andrew J. J. MacIntosh, Xavier Meyer, Thierry Raclot, Michael Sumner, Akinori Takahashi, Jean-Baptiste Thiebot, Yan Ropert-Coudert
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rita Fragueira, Michael Beaulieu
Article
Biology
Rita Fragueira, Simon Verhulst, Michaeel Beaulieu
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Anne-Mathilde Thierry, Nathalie De Bouillane De Lacoste, Kristine Ulvund, Roy Andersen, Roger Meas, Nina E. Eide, Arild Landa
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Franziska Guenter, Michael Beaulieu, Kasimir F. Freiberg, Ines Welzel, Nia Toshkova, Anamarija Zagar, Tatjana Simcic, Klaus Fischer
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biology
Pierick Mouginot, Gabriele Uhl, Nia Toshkova, Michael Beaulieu
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Cecilia Di Bernardi, Anne-Mathilde Thierry, Nina E. Eide, Diana E. Bowler, Lars Rod-Eriksen, Stefan Blumentrath, Lukas Tietgen, Brett K. Sandercock, Oystein Flagstad, Arild Landa
Summary: Selection for crypsis is recognized as an important ecological driver of animal colouration, while the importance of thermoregulation is contentious. In Arctic foxes, the blue morph showed higher breeding propensity compared to the white morph, suggesting the influence of color morph on reproductive performance. The study did not consistently support predictions of camouflage or thermoregulation hypotheses, indicating potential physiological and behavioral factors in the success of different color morphs.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michaeel Beaulieu, Michael Daehne, Jane Koepp, Coline Marciau, Akiko Kato, Yan Ropert-Coudert, Thierry Raclot
Summary: The vocalizations produced during nest relief ceremonies by reproductive partners reflect some characteristics of the foraging trips of both the returning and departing partners, but departing individuals do not adopt the same foraging behavior as that of returning individuals.
Article
Ecology
Rita Fragueira, Fabrice Helfenstein, Klaus Fischer, Michael Beaulieu
Summary: Responses to extreme climatic events may differ between individuals of distinct morphs within a species, with different life-history strategies leading to 'winners' and 'losers' in climate change scenarios. While black-headed female Gouldian finches showed a decline in reproductive performance after severe heatwaves, overall reproductive success of both morphs was not significantly affected by heatwave intensity. Offspring bore the cost of parental exposure to severe heatwaves, showing reduced condition and higher oxidative damage, but the impact may vary depending on the offspring's capacity to recover from altered developmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Anais Degut, Klaus Fischer, Martin Quque, Francois Criscuolo, Peter Michalik, Michael Beaulieu
Summary: Phenotypic plasticity within populations allows for adaptive phenotypic variation in response to seasonal changes, with long-term effects on adult morphology and performance. This plasticity may facilitate life-history strategies to cope with climate change.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Helen Roessler, Maureen Lynch, Sara Torres Ortiz, Ole Naesbye Larsen, Michael Beaulieu
Summary: When suitable nesting habitat is rare, birds may have to share it with heterospecific individuals with similar nesting requirements. This species mosaic can affect how breeding birds communicate vocally with each other. A study on Gentoo Penguins found that their ecstatic display calls had lower frequencies and energy distribution when they bred in mixed colonies with Adelie Penguins, but were unaffected by the presence of Chinstrap Penguins.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Keith W. Sockman, Michael Beaulieu
Summary: Despite the expectation of reduction in prevalence, individually consistent behavioural phenotypes persist in diverse populations. The life-history trade-off between current and future reproduction, combined with individual variation in age or condition, may explain this paradox.
Article
Biology
Michael Beaulieu
Summary: The study of animal affective states has mostly focused on enhancing welfare in non-natural contexts, but broadening it to wild animals can broaden our general understanding of animal welfare. However, examining welfare in the wild is challenging and requires unifying theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. This article aims to highlight the relationship between physiology and animal welfare, rectify the current oversight, and provide best-practice recommendations for assessing animal welfare in their natural habitat.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)