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Cryptophyte and Photosynthetic Picoeukaryote Abundances in the Bransfield Strait during Austral Summer. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14020185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
A remarkable shift in the species composition and size distribution of the phytoplankton community have been observed in coastal waters along the Antarctic Peninsula over the last three decades. Smaller photoautotrophs such as cryptophytes are becoming more abundant and important for the regional ecosystems. In this study, flow cytometry was used to quantify the smallest phytoplankton in the central Bransfield Strait and explore their distribution across the strait in relation to physical and chemical properties of the two major water masses: the warmer and less saline Transitional Zonal Water with Bellingshausen Sea influence (TBW), and the cold and salty Transitional Zonal Water with Weddell Sea influence (TWW). Pico- and nano-phytoplankton clusters were distinguished and enumerated in the cytograms: photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, cryptophytes (about 9 µm in size), and smaller (3 µm) nanophytoplankton. It was shown that nanophytoplankton developed higher abundances and biomasses in the warmer and less saline TBW. This biotope was characterized by a more diverse community with a pronounced dominance of Cryptophyta in terms of biomass. The results support the hypothesis that increasing melt-water input can potentially support spatial and temporal extent of cryptophytes. The replacement of large diatoms with small cryptophytes leads to a significant shift in trophic processes in favor of the consumers such as salps, which able to graze on smaller prey.
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Wing SR, Wing LC, O’Connell-Milne SA, Barr D, Stokes D, Genovese S, Leichter JJ. Penguins and Seals Transport Limiting Nutrients Between Offshore Pelagic and Coastal Regions of Antarctica Under Changing Sea Ice. Ecosystems 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-020-00578-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Iles DT, Lynch H, Ji R, Barbraud C, Delord K, Jenouvrier S. Sea ice predicts long-term trends in Adélie penguin population growth, but not annual fluctuations: Results from a range-wide multiscale analysis. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3788-3798. [PMID: 32190944 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the scales at which environmental variability affects populations is critical for projecting population dynamics and species distributions in rapidly changing environments. Here we used a multilevel Bayesian analysis of range-wide survey data for Adélie penguins to characterize multidecadal and annual effects of sea ice on population growth. We found that mean sea ice concentration at breeding colonies (i.e., "prevailing" environmental conditions) had robust nonlinear effects on multidecadal population trends and explained over 85% of the variance in mean population growth rates among sites. In contrast, despite considerable year-to-year fluctuations in abundance at most breeding colonies, annual sea ice fluctuations often explained less than 10% of the temporal variance in population growth rates. Our study provides an understanding of the spatially and temporally dynamic environmental factors that define the range limits of Adélie penguins, further establishing this iconic marine predator as a true sea ice obligate and providing a firm basis for projection under scenarios of future climate change. Yet, given the weak effects of annual sea ice relative to the large unexplained variance in year-to-year growth rates, the ability to generate useful short-term forecasts of Adélie penguin breeding abundance will be extremely limited. Our approach provides a powerful framework for linking short- and longer term population processes to environmental conditions that can be applied to any species, facilitating a richer understanding of ecological predictability and sensitivity to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Iles
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | | | - Rubao Ji
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Karine Delord
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
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Borowicz A, McDowall P, Youngflesh C, Sayre-McCord T, Clucas G, Herman R, Forrest S, Rider M, Schwaller M, Hart T, Jenouvrier S, Polito MJ, Singh H, Lynch HJ. Multi-modal survey of Adélie penguin mega-colonies reveals the Danger Islands as a seabird hotspot. Sci Rep 2018. [PMID: 29500389 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite concerted international effort to track and interpret shifts in the abundance and distribution of Adélie penguins, large populations continue to be identified. Here we report on a major hotspot of Adélie penguin abundance identified in the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). We present the first complete census of Pygoscelis spp. penguins in the Danger Islands, estimated from a multi-modal survey consisting of direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. Our survey reveals that the Danger Islands host 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins, more than the rest of AP region combined, and include the third and fourth largest Adélie penguin colonies in the world. Our results validate the use of Landsat medium-resolution satellite imagery for the detection of new or unknown penguin colonies and highlight the utility of combining satellite imagery with ground and UAV surveys. The Danger Islands appear to have avoided recent declines documented on the Western AP and, because they are large and likely to remain an important hotspot for avian abundance under projected climate change, deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Borowicz
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Philip McDowall
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Casey Youngflesh
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Thomas Sayre-McCord
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, United States
| | - Gemma Clucas
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
- Natural Resources and the Environment, James Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, United States
| | - Rachael Herman
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 70803, United States
| | - Steven Forrest
- Antarctic Resource, Inc., 303 S. Broadway, Suite 200-190, Denver, CO, 80209, United States
| | - Melissa Rider
- Antarctic Resource, Inc., 303 S. Broadway, Suite 200-190, Denver, CO, 80209, United States
| | - Mathew Schwaller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Tom Hart
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
| | - Stéphanie Jenouvrier
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Univ La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Michael J Polito
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 70803, United States
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Hanumant Singh
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, United States
| | - Heather J Lynch
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, 113 Life Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States.
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Multi-modal survey of Adélie penguin mega-colonies reveals the Danger Islands as a seabird hotspot. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3926. [PMID: 29500389 PMCID: PMC5834637 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22313-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite concerted international effort to track and interpret shifts in the abundance and distribution of Adélie penguins, large populations continue to be identified. Here we report on a major hotspot of Adélie penguin abundance identified in the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). We present the first complete census of Pygoscelis spp. penguins in the Danger Islands, estimated from a multi-modal survey consisting of direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. Our survey reveals that the Danger Islands host 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins, more than the rest of AP region combined, and include the third and fourth largest Adélie penguin colonies in the world. Our results validate the use of Landsat medium-resolution satellite imagery for the detection of new or unknown penguin colonies and highlight the utility of combining satellite imagery with ground and UAV surveys. The Danger Islands appear to have avoided recent declines documented on the Western AP and, because they are large and likely to remain an important hotspot for avian abundance under projected climate change, deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region.
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Che-Castaldo C, Jenouvrier S, Youngflesh C, Shoemaker KT, Humphries G, McDowall P, Landrum L, Holland MM, Li Y, Ji R, Lynch HJ. Pan-Antarctic analysis aggregating spatial estimates of Adélie penguin abundance reveals robust dynamics despite stochastic noise. Nat Commun 2017; 8:832. [PMID: 29018199 PMCID: PMC5635117 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00890-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonially-breeding seabirds have long served as indicator species for the health of the oceans on which they depend. Abundance and breeding data are repeatedly collected at fixed study sites in the hopes that changes in abundance and productivity may be useful for adaptive management of marine resources, but their suitability for this purpose is often unknown. To address this, we fit a Bayesian population dynamics model that includes process and observation error to all known Adélie penguin abundance data (1982–2015) in the Antarctic, covering >95% of their population globally. We find that process error exceeds observation error in this system, and that continent-wide “year effects” strongly influence population growth rates. Our findings have important implications for the use of Adélie penguins in Southern Ocean feedback management, and suggest that aggregating abundance across space provides the fastest reliable signal of true population change for species whose dynamics are driven by stochastic processes. Adélie penguins are a key Antarctic indicator species, but data patchiness has challenged efforts to link population dynamics to key drivers. Che-Castaldo et al. resolve this issue using a pan-Antarctic Bayesian model to infer missing data, and show that spatial aggregation leads to more robust inference regarding dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Che-Castaldo
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | - Stephanie Jenouvrier
- Biology Department, Mailstop 50, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chize, UMR 7372 CNRS/University La Rochelle, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Casey Youngflesh
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Kevin T Shoemaker
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Grant Humphries
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Black Bawks Data Science Ltd, 24 Abertarff Place, Fort Augustus, PH32 4DR, UK
| | - Philip McDowall
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Laura Landrum
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA
| | - Marika M Holland
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA
| | - Yun Li
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA.,Biology Department, Mailstop 33, Redfield 2-14, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Rubao Ji
- Biology Department, Mailstop 33, Redfield 2-14, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Heather J Lynch
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences 106, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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An Object-Based Image Analysis Approach for Detecting Penguin Guano in very High Spatial Resolution Satellite Images. REMOTE SENSING 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/rs8050375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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8
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Lynch HJ, Naveen R, Trathan PN, Fagan WF. Spatially integrated assessment reveals widespread changes in penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula. Ecology 2012; 93:1367-77. [PMID: 22834377 DOI: 10.1890/11-1588.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
As important marine mesopredators and sensitive indicators of Antarctic ecosystem change, penguins have been a major focus of long-term biological research in the Antarctic. However, the vast majority of such studies have been constrained by logistics and relate mostly to the temporal dynamics of individual breeding populations from which regional trends have been inferred, often without regard for the complex spatial heterogeneity of population processes and the underlying environmental conditions. Integrating diverse census data from 70 breeding sites across 31 years in a robust, hierarchical analysis, we find that trends from intensely studied populations may poorly reflect regional dynamics and confuse interpretation of environmental drivers. Results from integrated analyses confirm that Pygoscelis adeliae (Adélie Penguins) are decreasing at almost all locations on the Antarctic Peninsula. Results also resolve previously contradictory studies and unambiguously establish that P. antarctica (Chinstrap Penguins), thought to benefit from decreasing sea ice, are instead declining regionally. In contrast, another open-water species, P. papua (Gentoo Penguin), is increasing in abundance and expanding southward. These disparate population trends accord with recent mechanistic hypotheses of biological change in the Southern Ocean and highlight limitations of the influential but oversimplified "sea ice" hypothesis. Aggregating population data at the regional scale also allows us to quantify rates of regional population change in a way not previously possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J Lynch
- 640 Life Sciences Building, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
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"Evolution Canyon," a potential microscale monitor of global warming across life. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:2960-5. [PMID: 22308456 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120633109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climatic change and stress is a major driving force of evolution. The effects of climate change on living organisms have been shown primarily on regional and global scales. Here I propose the "Evolution Canyon" (EC) microscale model as a potential life monitor of global warming in Israel and the rest of the world. The EC model reveals evolution in action at a microscale involving biodiversity divergence, adaptation, and incipient sympatric speciation across life from viruses and bacteria through fungi, plants, and animals. The EC consists of two abutting slopes separated, on average, by 200 m. The tropical, xeric, savannoid, "African" south-facing slope (AS = SFS) abuts the forested "European" north-facing slope (ES = NFS). The AS receives 200-800% higher solar radiation than the ES. The ES represents the south European forested maquis. The AS and ES exhibit drought and shade stress, respectively. Major adaptations on the AS are because of solar radiation, heat, and drought, whereas those on the ES relate to light stress and photosynthesis. Preliminary evidence suggests the extinction of some European species on the ES and AS. In Drosophila, a 10-fold higher migration was recorded in 2003 from the AS to ES. I advance some predictions that could be followed in diverse species in EC. The EC microclimatic model is optimal to track global warming at a microscale across life from viruses and bacteria to mammals in Israel, and in additional ECs across the planet.
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Barber-Meyer SM, Kooyman GL, Ponganis PJ. Estimating the relative abundance of emperor penguins at inaccessible colonies using satellite imagery. Polar Biol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-007-0317-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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11
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Parmesan C. Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Recent Climate Change. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2006. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.37.091305.110100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5305] [Impact Index Per Article: 294.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Parmesan
- Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712;
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Jenouvrier S, Barbraud C, Weimerskirch H. Sea ice affects the population dynamics of Adélie penguins in Terre Adélie. Polar Biol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-005-0073-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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