Partitioning of foraging effort in Adélie penguins provisioning chicks at Béchervaise Island, Antarctica |
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Authors: | J R Clarke |
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Institution: | (1) Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia e-mail: judy.clarke@antdiv.gov.au Tel.: +61-3-62323453, Fax: +61-3-62323449, AU |
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Abstract: | Analyses of the body masses of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) departing on foraging trips of long and short duration (> and<40 h, respectively) during chick rearing showed that the departure
weights of birds prior to long trips were significantly lighter than were those prior to short trips. Penguins, particularly
males, were significantly heavier at the start of the guard stage than at the end and both sexes gained similar amounts of
body mass during the crèche period. Results support the hypothesis that the foraging effort of Adélie penguins at Béchervaise
Island is partitioned between the sexes, with males accepting a net rate of negative energy gain to provide regular meals
for their offspring during the guard stage. Adélie penguin foraging behaviour may be driven by a trade-off between the allocation
of food to chicks and the storage of parental body reserves, similar to that previously postulated for some species of flying
seabirds. The relevance of such a foraging strategy to the breeding success of penguins in the Mawson region of eastern Antarctica
is discussed in relation to micronekton distribution in the area.
Accepted: 3 June 2000 |
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