OPP-PRF Pygoscelis Penguin Response to Potential Prey Retention along the West Antarctic Peninsula

企鹅在夏季养育幼雏时是觅食的中心。它们在寻找食物后离开并返回同一个聚居地，并依靠南极磷虾的可用性，这是它们的主要食物来源。这项研究的重点是企鹅的饮食和殖民地的位置是否反映了猎物的保留周围和附近的殖民地在西南极半岛。漩涡和其他海洋过程可能会促进猎物在某些地方的滞留，推动企鹅群体的建立和成功。本项目假设，当当地猎物保留率高时，可能由于地下涡流，Pygoscelis企鹅的饮食将由更多的南极磷虾（Euphausia superba）组成。这一假设将通过多光谱传感器数据对Pygoscelis企鹅饮食组成的卫星估计进行验证，以估计氮值并推断营养水平。利用区域海洋模拟系统（ROMS）沿半岛计算猎物滞留量。模拟颗粒和diel垂直迁移将被用来模拟磷虾的行为。这些粒子可以通过实验在数年内跨越多个深度，以评估在系统中的停留时间。利用来自企鹅种群和预测动态测绘应用程序（MAPPPD）的企鹅群数据，PI将把饮食和保留指标与当地企鹅群的生长和持久性联系起来，并建立一个预测模型，预测未来可能在哪里形成企鹅群。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Pygoscelis penguins are central place foragers during the summer while they raise their chicks. They leave and return to the same colony location after hunting for food and rely on the availability of Antarctic krill, their primary food source. This research focuses on whether penguin diets and colony location reflect the retention of prey around and near colonies on the West Antarctic Peninsula. Eddies and other oceanographic processes may facilitate prey retention at certain locations, driving penguin colony establishment and success. This project hypothesizes that Pygoscelis penguin diets will be composed of more Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) when local prey retention is high, possibly due to subsurface eddies. This hypothesis will be tested using satellite-based estimates of Pygoscelis penguin diet composition using multispectral sensor data to estimate nitrogen values and infer trophic level. Prey retention will be calculated along the peninsula using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Simulated particles and diel vertical migration will be used to mimic krill behavior. These particles can be experimentally seeded across multiple depths in multiple years to assess residence times in the system. Using penguin colony data from the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), the PI will correlate diet and retention metrics to local penguin colony growth and persistence and build a predictive model of where colonies may form in the future.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.