1
|
Gimeno M, Giménez J, Chiaradia A, Davis LS, Seddon PJ, Ropert-Coudert Y, Reisinger RR, Coll M, Ramírez F. Climate and human stressors on global penguin hotspots: Current assessments for future conservation. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17143. [PMID: 38273518 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
As charismatic and iconic species, penguins can act as "ambassadors" or flagship species to promote the conservation of marine habitats in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, there is a lack of reliable, comprehensive, and systematic analysis aimed at compiling spatially explicit assessments of the multiple impacts that the world's 18 species of penguin are facing. We provide such an assessment by combining the available penguin occurrence information from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (>800,000 occurrences) with three main stressors: climate-driven environmental changes at sea, industrial fisheries, and human disturbances on land. Our analyses provide a quantitative assessment of how these impacts are unevenly distributed spatially within species' distribution ranges. Consequently, contrasting pressures are expected among species, and populations within species. The areas coinciding with the greatest impacts for penguins are the coast of Perú, the Patagonian Shelf, the Benguela upwelling region, and the Australian and New Zealand coasts. When weighting these potential stressors with species-specific vulnerabilities, Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti), African (Spheniscus demersus), and Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) emerge as the species under the most pressure. Our approach explicitly differentiates between climate and human stressors, since the more achievable management of local anthropogenic stressors (e.g., fisheries and land-based threats) may provide a suitable means for facilitating cumulative impacts on penguins, especially where they may remain resilient to global processes such as climate change. Moreover, our study highlights some poorly represented species such as the Northern Rockhopper (Eudyptes moseleyi), Snares (Eudyptes robustus), and Erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) that need internationally coordinated efforts for data acquisition and data sharing to understand their spatial distribution properly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Míriam Gimeno
- Institut de Ciencies del Mar, Recursos Marins Renovables, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Giménez
- Institut de Ciencies del Mar, Recursos Marins Renovables, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga (COMA), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Fuengirola, Spain
| | - Andre Chiaradia
- Conservation Department, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Cowes, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Ryan R Reisinger
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Marta Coll
- Institut de Ciencies del Mar, Recursos Marins Renovables, Barcelona, Spain
- Ecopath International Initiative (EII), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francisco Ramírez
- Institut de Ciencies del Mar, Recursos Marins Renovables, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Salmerón N, Belle S, Cruz FS, Alegria N, Finger JVG, Corá DH, Petry MV, Hernández C, Cárdenas CA, Krüger L. Contrasting environmental conditions precluded lower availability of Antarctic krill affecting breeding chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5265. [PMID: 37002269 PMCID: PMC10066220 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32352-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Dramatic decreases of chinstrap penguin populations across the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) are thought to be influenced by climate-driven changes affecting its main prey, the Antarctic krill, however, empirical evidence supporting such hypotheses are scarce. By coupling data on breeding chinstrap penguins, environmental remote sensing and estimates of krill acoustic density, we were able to demonstrate that penguins substantially increased their foraging effort in a year of low krill availability, with consequent reduction in breeding success. A winter of low sea ice cover followed by a summer/spring with stronger wind and lower marine productivity explained the lower and deeper krill availability. Our results highlight the importance of environmental variability on penguin populations, as variability is expected to increase under climate change, affecting foraging behaviour responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Salmerón
- International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea), Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Solenne Belle
- International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea), Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Francisco Santa Cruz
- Departamento Científico, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Plaza Muñoz Gamero, 1055, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Nicolás Alegria
- Instituto de Investigación Pesquera (INPESCA), Colón, 2780, Talcahuano, Chile
| | - Júlia Victória Grohmann Finger
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Denyelle Hennayra Corá
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Maria Virginia Petry
- Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - César A Cárdenas
- Departamento Científico, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Plaza Muñoz Gamero, 1055, Punta Arenas, Chile
- Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Las Palmeras, 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lucas Krüger
- Departamento Científico, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Plaza Muñoz Gamero, 1055, Punta Arenas, Chile.
- Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Las Palmeras, 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Decreasing Trends of Chinstrap Penguin Breeding Colonies in a Region of Major and Ongoing Rapid Environmental Changes Suggest Population Level Vulnerability. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15030327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
The bulk of the chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) global population inhabits the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea, which is a region undergoing rapid environmental changes. Consequently, regional level decreases for this species are widespread. This study aimed to evaluate the level of breeding colony changes in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands, which, roughly, hold 60% of the global chinstrap penguin population. The results indicated that within a period of 40 to 50 years, 62% of colonies underwent decreases, and the majority of colonies experienced decreases over 50%, which is represented by numbers in the range of 2000 to 40,000 pairs. Within three generations’ time, the whole population for the area had experienced decreases of around 30%. These levels of decrease add to the fact that the suspected causes are not likely reversible in the short- to mid-term, calling for increased concern about the conservation of this species.
Collapse
|
4
|
Important marine areas for endangered African penguins before and after the crucial stage of moulting. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9489. [PMID: 35676286 PMCID: PMC9177839 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12969-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The population of the Endangered African penguin Spheniscus demersus has decreased by > 65% in the last 20 years. A major driver of this decrease has been the reduced availability of their principal prey, sardine Sardinops sagax and anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus. To date, conservation efforts to improve prey availability have focused on spatial management strategies to reduce resource competition with purse-seine fisheries during the breeding season. However, penguins also undergo an annual catastrophic moult when they are unable to feed for several weeks. Before moulting they must accumulate sufficient energy stores to survive this critical life-history stage. Using GPS tracking data collected between 2012 and 2019, we identify important foraging areas for pre- and post-moult African penguins at three of their major colonies in South Africa: Dassen Island and Stony Point (Western Cape) and Bird Island (Eastern Cape). The foraging ranges of pre- and post-moult adult African penguins (c. 600 km from colony) was far greater than that previously observed for breeding penguins (c. 50 km from colony) and varied considerably between sites, years and pre- and post-moult stages. Despite their more extensive range during the non-breeding season, waters within 20 and 50 km of their breeding colonies were used intensively and represent important foraging areas to pre- and post-moult penguins. Furthermore, penguins in the Western Cape travelled significantly further than those in the Eastern Cape which is likely a reflection of the poor prey availability along the west coast of South Africa. Our findings identify important marine areas for pre- and post-moult African penguins and support for the expansion of fisheries-related spatio-temporal management strategies to help conserve African penguins outside the breeding season.
Collapse
|