Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Foraging strategies of male Adélie penguins during their first incubation trip in relation to environmental conditions

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Knowledge of habitat use by top marine predators in response to environmental conditions is crucial in the current context of global changes occurring in the Southern Ocean. We examined the at-sea locations of male Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding at Dumont d’Urville during their first, long incubation trip. Compared with the chick-rearing period, penguins performed longer trips, going to oceanic waters as far as 320 km from the colony. We observed 3 strategies: (1) five individuals covered large distances to the north, targeting open-ocean areas and following the currents of two persistent eddies; (2) five individuals foraged to the north-west, close to the Antarctic shelf slope at the limit of the pack ice; and (3) three individuals covered much shorter distances (northwards or eastwards). The foraging range also seemed to be limited by the body condition of the penguins before their departure to sea.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ainley DG (2002) The Adélie penguin. Bellwether of climate change. Columbia University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ainley DG, Jacobs SS (1981) Sea-bird affinities for ocean and ice boundaries in the Antarctic. Deep-Sea Res I 28:1173–1185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ainley DG, Leresche RE, Sladen WJL (1983) Breeding biology of the Adélie penguin. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Ainley DG, Ribic CA, Fraser WR (1992) Does prey preference affect habitat choice in Antarctic seabirds. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 90:207–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ainley DG, Wilson PR, Barton KJ, Ballard G, Nur N, Karl B (1998) Diet and foraging effort of Adélie penguins in relation to pack-ice conditions in the southern Ross Sea. Polar Biol 20:311–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ainley DG, Ballard G, Dugger KM (2006) Competition among penguins and cetaceans reveals trophic cascades in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. Ecology 87:2080–2093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amakasu K, Ono A, Hirano D, Moteki M, Ishimaru T (2011) Distribution and density of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and Ice krill (E. crystallorophias) off Adélie Land in austral summer 2008 estimated by acoustical methods. Polar Sci 5:187–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ancel A, Fetter L, Groscolas R (1998) Changes in egg and body temperature indicate triggering of egg desertion at a body mass threshold in fasting incubating Blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea). J Comp Physiol B 168:533–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angelier F, Clement-Chastel C, Gabrielsen GW, Chastel O (2007) Corticosterone and time-activity budget: an experiment with black-legged kittiwakes. Horm Behav 52:482–491

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Angelier F, Bost C-A, Giraudeau M, Bouteloup G, Dano S, Chastel O (2008) Corticosterone and foraging behavior in a diving seabird: the Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae. Gen Comp Endocrinol 156:134–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aoki S, Fukai D, Hirawake T, Ushio S, Rintoul SR, Hasumoto H, Ishimaru T, Sasaki H, Kagimoto T, Sasai Y, Mitsudera H (2007) A series of cyclonic eddies in the Antarctic Divergence off Adélie Coast. J Geophys Res Oceans 112:C05019

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson A, Siegel V, Pakhomov E, Rothery P (2004) Long-term decline in krill stock and increase in salps within the Southern Ocean. Nature 432:100–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beaulieu M, Dervaux A, Thierry A-M, Lazin D, Le Maho Y, Ropert-Coudert Y, Spée M, Raclot T, Ancel A (2010) When sea-ice clock is ahead of Adélie penguins’ clock. Funct Ecol 24:93–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brierley AS, Fernandes PG, Brandon MA, Armstrong F, Millard NW, McPhail SD, Stevenson P, Pebody M, Perrett J, Squires M, Bone DG, Griffiths G (2002) Antarctic krill under sea ice: elevated abundance in a narrow band just south of ice edge. Science 295:1890–1892

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell MA, Janes DN, Shoemaker VH, Bucher TL, Maloney SK (1993) Reproductive effort in Adélie penguins. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 33:173–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaurand T, Weimerskirch H (1994) Incubation routine, body-mass regulation and egg neglect in the blue petrel Halobaena caerulea. Ibis 136:285–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherel Y (2008) Isotopic niches of Emperor and Adélie penguins in Adélie Land, Antarctica. Mar Biol 154:813–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherel Y, Hobson KA, Bailleul FR, Groscolas R (2005) Nutrition, physiology, and stable isotopes: new information from fasting and molting penguins. Ecology 86:2881–2888

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherel Y, Hobson KA, Guinet C, Vanpe C (2007) Stable isotopes document seasonal changes in trophic niches and winter foraging individual specialization in diving predators from the Southern Ocean. J Anim Ecol 76:826–836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke J, Manly B, Kerry K, Gardner H, Franchi E, Corsolini S, Focardi S (1998) Sex differences in Adélie penguin foraging strategies. Polar Biol 20:248–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke J, Emmerson LM, Otahal P (2006) Environmental conditions and life history constraints determine foraging range in breeding Adélie penguins. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 310:247–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cockrem JF, Potter MA, Candy EJ (2006) Corticosterone in relation to body mass in Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) affected by unusual sea ice conditions at Ross Island, Antarctica. Gen Comp Endocrinol 149:244–252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Croxall JP, Trathan PN, Murphy EJ (2002) Environmental change and Antarctic seabird populations. Science 297:1510–1514

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Culik BM, Bannasch R, Wilson RP (1994) External devices on penguins: how important is shape? Mar Biol 118:353–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis LS, Miller GD (1992) Satellite tracking of Adelie penguins. Polar Biol 12:503–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellegren H (1996) First gene on the avian W chromosome (CHD) provides a tag for universal sexing of non-ratite birds. Proc R Soc Lond B 263:1635–1641

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forcada J, Trathan PN (2009) Penguin responses to climate change in the Southern Ocean. Glob Change Biol 15:1618–1630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groscolas R, Lacroix A, Robin JP (2008) Spontaneous egg or chick abandonment in energy-depleted King penguins: a role for corticosterone and prolactin? Horm Behav 53:51–60

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hemery LG, Galton-Fenzi B, Améziane N, Riddle MJ, Rintoul SR, Beaman RJ, Post AL, Eléaume M (2011) Predicting habitat preferences for Anthometrina adriani (Echinodermata) on the East Antarctic continental shelf. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 441:105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jouventin P, Capdeville D, Cuenotchaillet F, Boiteau C (1994) Exploitation of pelagic resources by a non-flying seabird: satellite tracking of the king penguin throughout the breeding cycle. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 106:11–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn NW, St John J, Quinn TW (1998) Chromosome-specific intron size differences in the avian CHD gene provide an efficient method for sex identification in birds. Auk 115:1074–1078

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato A, Watanuki Y, Naito Y (2003) Annual and seasonal changes in foraging site and diving behaviour in Adélie penguins. Polar Biol 26:389–395

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato A, Yoshioka A, Sato K (2009) Foraging behaviour of Adélie penguins during incubation period in Lützow-Holm Bay. Polar Biol 32:181–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerry KR, Clarke JR, Else JD (1995) The foraging range of Adélie penguins at Béchervaise Island, Mac Robertson Land, Antarctica, as determined by satellite telemetry. In: Dann P, Norman I, Reilly P (eds) The Penguins. Surrey Beathy and sons, Sydney, pp 216–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Lannuzel D, Schoemann V, de Jong J, Tison J-L, Chou L (2007) Distribution and biogeochemical behaviour of iron in the East Antarctic sea ice. Mar Chem 106:18–32. doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2006.06.010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lyver PO, MacLeod CJ, Ballard G, Karl BJ, Barton KJ, Adams J, Ainley DG, Wilson PR (2011) Intra-seasonal variation in foraging behavior among Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding at Cape Hallett, Ross Sea, Antarctica. Polar Biol 34:49–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol S, Pauly T, Bindoff NL, Wright S, Thiele D, Hosie GW, Strutton PG, Woehler E (2000) Ocean circulation off east Antarctica affects ecosystem structure and sea-ice extent. Nature 406:504–507

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pinaud D (2008) Quantifying search effort of moving animals at several spatial scales using first-passage time analysis: effect of the structure of environment and tracking systems. J Appl Ecol 45:91–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodary D, Wienecke BC, Bost CA (2000) Diving behaviour of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Dumont D’Urville, Antarctica: nocturnal patterns of diving and rapid adaptations to changes in sea-ice condition. Polar Biol 23:113–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ropert-Coudert Y, Wilson RP, Daunt F, Kato A (2004) Patterns of energy acquisition by a central place forager: benefits of alternating short and long foraging trips. Behav Ecol 15:824–830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto KQ, Sato K, Ishizuka M, Watanuki Y, Takahashi A, Daunt F, Wanless S (2009) Can ethograms be automatically generated using body acceleration data from free-ranging birds? PLoS ONE 4:e5379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook J, Fritsch EF, Maniatis T (1989) Amplification methods. Molecular cloning. A laboratory manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shchepetkin AF, McWilliams JC (2005) The regional oceanic modeling system (ROMS): a split-explicit, free-surface, topography-following-coordinate oceanic model. Ocean Model 9:347–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith WHF, Sandwell DT (1997) Global seafloor topography from satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings. Science 277:1957–1962

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith RC, Ainley D, Baker K, Domack E, Emslie S, Fraser B, Kennett J, Leventer A, Mosley-Thompson E, Stammerjohn S, Vernet M (1999) Marine ecosystem sensitivity to climate change. BioScience 49:393–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov S, Rintoul SR, Wienecke B (2006) Tracking the polar front south of New Zealand using penguin dive data. Deep Sea Res Part 1 Oceanogr Res Pap 53:591–607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spée M, Beaulieu M, Dervaux A, Chastel O, Le Maho Y, Raclot T (2010) Should I stay or should I go: hormonal control of nest abandonment in a long-lived bird, the Adélie penguin. Horm Behav 58:762–768

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spreen G, Kaleschke L, Heygster G (2008) Sea ice remote sensing using AMSR-E 89 GHz channels. J Geophys Res 113:C02S03. doi:10.1029/2005JC003384

  • R Development Core Team (2008) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-0. http://www.R-project.org

  • Tierney M, Nichols PD, Wheatley KE, Hindell MA (2008) Blood fatty acids indicate inter- and intra-annual variation in the diet of Adélie penguins: comparison with stomach content and stable isotope analysis. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 367:65–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vleck CM, Van Hook JA (2002) Absence of daily rhythms of prolactin and corticosterone in Adélie Penguins under continuous daylight. Condor 104:667–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watanuki Y, Kato A, Naito Y, Robertson G, Robinson S (1997) Diving and foraging behaviour of Adélie penguins in areas with and without fast sea ice. Polar Biol 17:296–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watanuki Y, Kato A, Sato K, Niizuma Y, Bost C-A, Le Maho Y, Naito Y (2002) Parental mass change and food provisioning in Adélie penguins rearing chicks in colonies with contrasting sea-ice conditions. Polar Biol 25:672–681

    Google Scholar 

  • Weimerskirch H (2007) Are seabirds foraging for unpredictable resources? Deep-Sea Res II 54:211–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wienecke BC, Lawless R, Rodary D, Bost CA, Thomson R, Pauly T, Robertson G, Kerry KR, Le Maho Y (2000) Adélie penguin foraging behaviour and krill abundance along the Wilkes and Adélie land coasts, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Res II 47:2573–2587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wienecke B, Raymond B, Robertson G (2010) Maiden journey of fledgling emperor penguins from the Mawson Coast, East Antarctica. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 410:269–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson PR, Ainley DG, Nur N, Jacobs SS, Barton KJ, Ballard G, Comiso JC (2001) Adélie penguin population change in the pacific sector of Antarctica: relation to sea-ice extent and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Mar Ecol-Prog Ser 213:301–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoda K, Ropert-Coudert Y (2007) Temporal changes in activity budgets of chick-rearing Adélie penguins. Mar Biol 151:1951–1957

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer I, Wilson RP, Gilbert C, Beaulieu M, Ancel A, Plötz J (2008) Foraging movements of Emperor penguins at Pointe Géologie, Antarctica. Polar Biol 31:229–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was approved by the ethic committee and supported logistically and financially by the French Polar Institute (IPEV, program 137 ECOPHY-ANTAVIA) and the Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF). M. Cottin was supported by a grant from the Région Alsace. We are grateful to WWF and especially R. Downie for funding. We are indebted to M. Debin and A-M. Thierry for their great help in the field. We thank Dr. J. P. Robin for lyophilizing blood samples, P. Richard and G. Guillou for stable isotope measurements and H. Gachot-Neveu and M. Beaugey for molecular sexing. Finally, we also thank Dr. S. Aoki for explanations about oceanography parameters around Dumont d’Urville.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPHC-DEPE, UMR 7178 CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg Cedex 2, France

    Manuelle Cottin, Akiko Kato, Françoise Amélineau, Yvon Le Maho, Thierry Raclot & Yan Ropert-Coudert

  2. CNRS, UMR7178, 67037, Strasbourg, France

    Manuelle Cottin, Akiko Kato, Françoise Amélineau, Yvon Le Maho, Thierry Raclot & Yan Ropert-Coudert

  3. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS, 7050, Australia

    Ben Raymond

  4. Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Ben Raymond & Ben Galton-Fenzi

  5. British Antarctic Survey, High Cross Cross Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    Andrew Meijers

Authors
  1. Manuelle Cottin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ben Raymond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Akiko Kato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Françoise Amélineau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yvon Le Maho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Thierry Raclot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ben Galton-Fenzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Andrew Meijers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Yan Ropert-Coudert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuelle Cottin.

Additional information

Communicated by S. Garthe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cottin, M., Raymond, B., Kato, A. et al. Foraging strategies of male Adélie penguins during their first incubation trip in relation to environmental conditions. Mar Biol 159, 1843–1852 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1974-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1974-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation