Comparative Demography and Foraging Behavior of Pygoscelis Penguins

本提案将继续在南极洲南设得兰群岛乔治国王岛金钟湾（62 10'S, 58 30'W）对阿德利企鹅、巴布亚企鹅和帽带企鹅的种群生物学和生态学进行比较研究。研究的主要目的是确定同域企鹅种群的特定年龄人口统计参数，并比较不同环境下阿德利企鹅种群的这些参数。另一个目标是比较三个物种的觅食行为/生态，并在每个物种中比较年轻，经验不足，首次繁殖者与年长，成熟的繁殖者的喂养熟练程度。后一种努力的结果应有助于解释在人口统计数据中观察到的模式。小鳞企鹅是磷虾（Euphausia superba）的主要捕食者；这些捕食者和它们的猎物是南极海洋食物网的主要组成部分。为了彻底了解南极生态系统的结构和功能，尚未获得的重要信息将是驱动主要营养层捕食者（企鹅）年龄结构和调节种群规模的因素。这些资料将来自拟议的研究。

This proposal will continue a comparative study of the population biology and ecology of Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South shetland Islands, Antarctica (62 10'S, 58 30'W). The primary objective is to determine age-specific demographic parameters for sympatric populations of Pygoscelis penguins, and to compare these parameters between Adelie populations in different environments. Another objective is to compare the foraging behavior/ecology of the three species, and within each, to compare the feeding proficiency of young, inexperienced, firts-time breeders with older, established breeders. Results from the latter effort should help to explain patterns observed in the demographic data. Pygoscelis penguins are major predators of krill (Euphausia superba); these predators and their prey are major components of the antarctic marine food web. To thoroughly understand the structure and function of the Antarctic ecosystem, important information not yet available would be the factors that drive age structure and regulate population size of key trophic-level predators (penguins). Such information will result from the proposed study.