Ross Sea Adélie Penguin Colonies Population Research
Project Summary
Since 1996, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey at Oregon State University and Point Blue Conservation Science, Integral staff have quantified the demography and population dynamics of Adélie penguins within a four-colony metapopulation on Ross and Beaufort Islands.
Location: Ross Sea, Antarctica
Key Personnel
David G. Ainley, Ph.D. Senior Ecologist
Scott Terrill, Ph.D. Principal
Challenge
Understanding the mechanisms behind Adélie penguin population size change, whether tied to overwintering survival, emigration, recruitment, or breeding success, required decades of sustained field research across colonies ranging from 3,000 to 300,000 breeding pairs, complicated by industrial fishing that competes with penguins for the same prey species.
Our Role
Integral staff have used satellite telemetry, time depth records, radio-frequency identification, automatic weighing, and diet sampling to quantify how penguins meet environmental challenges as mediated by colony size. Along the way, the team discovered that fewer than 20% of breeders persistently contribute to colony growth, prompting an investigation into breeder quality factors including hormone levels, cardiovascular attributes, and foraging experience, and has applied acoustic sampling on ocean gliders and remotely operated vehicles to quantify prey availability.
What We Delivered & Results
The nearly 30-year research program has produced approximately 30 scientific papers, two books, a feature-length documentary film, and a TV-broadcast film, alongside an educational website and classroom instructional materials.