Factors Regulating Population Size and Colony Distribution of Adelie Penguins in the Ross Sea

该合作项目调查了导致现有阿德利企鹅群急剧增长的人口统计机制，以及罗斯海新企鹅群的建立。研究还将调查增长与该地区已记录的气候变化有关的可能性：1)区分限制群体增长的关键资源的相对重要性--筑巢栖息地的可用性与食物的获取--2)检查影响群体增长的行为机制(亲缘关系--迁入/迁出平衡，和/或繁殖努力/成功)作为初始规模和分布的函数。这将是第一个考虑海鸟种群地理结构的经验性皮奥里研究。结果将增加对1)种群调节和扩散模式的理解，以及2)通过海冰覆盖变化调节的气候变化对企鹅种群的影响。此外，研究结果将为解释现有项目中关于企鹅数量趋势的相互矛盾的数据提供一个背景，这些项目使用阿德利企鹅作为点源人为影响南极资源(例如渔业捕捞、旅游业干扰)的指示物种。这项为期7年的研究(4个完整年份和1个部分年份由国家科学基金会资助)包括在罗斯岛的三个企鹅聚居地进行的密集实地研究。这项研究将量化繁殖努力和成功、食物可获得性(获得食物的机会)、饮食质量、栖息地利用以及相对于群体大小和环境条件(即冰盖)的迁入/迁出。这些方法将汇集几种在南极生物研究中成功但很少使用的成熟技术：航空摄影评估筑巢栖息地的可用性，海冰浓度的微波图像评估觅食栖息地的可用性，稳定同位素分析评估食物质量，无线电遥测评估群体觅食区域的重叠，以及自动系统记录繁殖努力的各个方面。这项研究建立在新西兰土地保护研究所(LCRNZ)的努力基础上，并与其合作，该研究所将进行两个初步野外季节，包括测试新设备，并将在整个努力期间继续进行，并由独立资助。来自加州大学圣克鲁斯分校、威斯康星大学和Avid Inc.的研究人员将与H.T.Harvey&Amp；Associates和LCRNZ的研究人员合作，以实现项目目标。

Abstract The collaborative project investigates the demographic mechanisms responsible for dramatic growth in existing Adelie Penguins Pygoscelis adeliae colonies, and the founding of new ones, in the Ross Sea. Research will also investigate the possibility that growth is related to documented climate change in the region by: 1) distinguishing the relative importance of the key resources that constrain growth of colonies--availability of nesting habitat vs. access to food -- and 2) examining behavioral mechanisms (philopatry -- the immigration/emigration balance, and/or breeding effort/success) that influence colony growth as a function of initial size and distribution. This will be the first empirical a piori study to consider the geographic structuring of a seabird population. Results will increase understanding of 1) population regulation and patterns of dispersion, and 2) effects of climate change, mediated through changes in sea-ice cover, on penguin populations. In addition, results will provide a context in which to interpret conflicting data on penguin population trends from existing programs that use Adelie penguins as an indicator species for point source anthropogenic impacts on Antarctic resources (e.g., fishery catches, disturbance by tourism). The 7 years of research (4 full and 1 partial years funded by NSF) includes intensive field study conducted at three Ross Island penguin colonies. The study will quantify reproductive effort and success, food availability (access to food), diet quality, habitat use and immigration/emigration relative to colony size and environmental conditions (i.e., pack-ice cover). Methods will bring together several well-established techniques that have been successfully but infrequently used in Antarctic biological research: aerial photography to evaluate availability of nesting habitat, microwave images of sea-ice concentration to assess availability of feeding habitat, analysis of stable isotopes to evaluate food quality, radio telemetry to assess overlap in colony feeding areas, and automatic systems to log aspects of reproductive effort. The research builds on, and collaborates with the efforts of Landcare Research New Zealand (LCRNZ), which will have conducted two preliminary field seasons, including testing of new equipment, will continue through the period of effort, and which is independently funded. Researchers from the University of California Santa Cruz, University of Wisconsin, and Avid Inc will collaborate with those from H.T. Harvey & Associates and LCRNZ to accomplish project goals.