Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:49:22.824Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Populations of breeding birds in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2013

J.A. Gil-Delgado ,
J. González-Solís  and
A. Barbosa
J.A. Gil-Delgado*
Affiliation:
Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, Spain
J. González-Solís
Affiliation:
Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat i Department de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
A. Barbosa
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Spain
*
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Data about breeding populations of birds in the Antarctica are rare and fragmented. Thus, information about the status of the breeding populations of Antarctic birds is crucial given the current scenario of climate change, which is particularly acute in Antarctica. This paper presents new information about the populations of the Antarctic tern Sterna vittata, the kelp gull Larus dominicanus, the southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus, the Antarctic skua Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi, the chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antarctica and the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands). We used line transects counts to estimate both densities and numbers of nests of the different species. We estimate that there are 398.96 birds km-2 of southern giant petrels (2793 individuals), 62.4 birds km-2 of Antarctic tern (3746 individuals) and 269.1 birds km-2 of kelp gull (1884 individuals). Furthermore, we found 15 nests of Antarctic skua in 25 km2, from which we can estimate that 60–91 birds must breed on Byers Peninsula. We also censused two colonies of gentoo penguins (3000 and 1200 pairs) and 50 pairs of chinstrap. Compared to previous estimates, gentoo penguins seem to have increased whereas chinstrap penguin have decreased. Finally, the populations of Antarctic tern, southern giant petrel and kelp gull have stabilized or slightly increased.

Keywords

Antarcticdensitiesline transectsnestspenguin coloniespopulation size
Type
Research Articles
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 25 , Issue 2: Byers Peninsula – A New Reference Site For The Maritime Antarctic , April 2013 , pp. 303 - 306
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barbosa, A., Benzal, J., de León, A.Moreno, J. 2012. Population decline in chinstrap penguin in Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 10.1007/s00300-012-1196-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björck, S., Hakansson, H., Zale, R., Karlen, W.Jonsson, B.L. 1991. A late Holocene lake sediment sequence from Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, with palaeoclimatic implications. Antarctic Science, 3, 61–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björck, S., Hjort, C., Ingólfsson, Ó., Zale, R.Ising, J. 1996. Holocene glacial chronology from lake sediments. In López-Martínez, J., Thomson, M.R.A.&Thomson, J.W. et al., eds. Geomorphological map of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island. BAS GEOMAP series, sheet 5-a, 1:25 000, with supplementary text. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey, 49–51.Google Scholar
Carlini, A.R., Coria, N.R., Santos, M.M., Negrete, J., Juares, M.A.Daneri, G.A. 2009. Responses of Pygoscelis adeliae and P. papua populations to environmental changes at Isla 25 de Mayo (King George Island). Polar Biology, 32, 1427–1433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casaux, R.Barrera Oro, E. 2006. Shag in Antarctica: their feeding behavior and ecological role in the marine food web. Antarctic Science, 18, 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Croxall, J.P.Kirkwood, E.D. 1979. The distribution of penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of the Scotia Sea. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey, 186 pp.Google Scholar
Del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A.Sargatal, J., eds. 1992. Handbook of the birds of the world, vol 1. Barcelona: Lynx Editions, 640 pp.Google Scholar
Emslie, S., Baumann, K.van Tuinen, M. 2011. Late Holocene occupation of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetlands. Polar Biology, 34, 283–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbs, J.P. 2000. Monitoring populations. In Boitani, L.&Fuller, T.K.,eds. Research techniques in animal ecology: controversies and consequences. New York: Columbia University Press, 213–252.Google Scholar
Greenwood, J.J.D. 1996. Basic techniques. In Sutherland, W.J.,ed. Ecological census techniques. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 11–110.Google Scholar
Lynch, H.J., Naveen, R.Fagan, W.F. 2008. Censuses of penguins, blue-eye shag Phalacrocorax atriceps, and giant petrel Macronectes giganteus populations of the Antarctic Peninsula, 2001–2007. Marine Ornithology, 36, 83–97.Google Scholar
McClintock, J., Ducklow, H.Fraser, W. 2008. Ecological responses to climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula. American Scientist, 96, 357–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, D., Woehler, E.J., Croxall, J.P., Cooper, J., Poncet, S., Peter, H.-U., Hunter, S.Fraser, W.R. 2008. Breeding distribution and population status of the northern giant petrel Macronectes halli and the southern giant petrel M. giganteus. Marine Ornithology, 36, 115–124.Google Scholar
Peter, H.-U., Kaiser, M.Gebauer, A. 1988. Untersuchungen an Voegeln und Robben auf King George I., South Shetlands Islands, Antarktis. Geodatische Geophysikal Veroeffentlichungen, 14, 1–127.Google Scholar
Peter, H.-U., Kaiser, M.Gebauer, A. 1991. Breeding ecology of the southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus on King George Island (South Shetlands, Antarctic). Zoologische Jahrbücher (Systematik), 118, 465–477.Google Scholar
Quayle, W.C., Peck, L.S., Peat, H., Ellis-Evans, J.C.Hurrigan, P.R. 2002. Extreme responses to climate change in Antarctic lakes. Science, 295, 645.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quintana, F., Punta, G., Copello, S.Yorio, P. 2006. Population status and trends of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) breeding in north Patagonia, Argentina. Polar Biology, 30, 53–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, T.A.Huin, N. 2008. Census of the southern giant petrel population of the Falkland Islands 2004/2005. Bird Conservation International, 18, 118–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sander, M., Carneiro, A.P.B., Mascarello, N.E., dos Santos, C.R., Costa, E.S.Balbao, T.C. 2006. Distribution and status of the kelp gull, Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein (1823), at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland, Antarctica. Polar Biology, 29, 902–904.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCAR 2003. Management Plan for ASPA 126, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. SCAR Bulletin, No. 150. 39–52.Google Scholar
Steig, E.J., Schneider, D.P., Rutherford, S.D., Mann, M.E., Comiso, J.C.Shindell, D.T. 2009. Warming of the Antarctic ice-sheet surface since the 1957 International Geophysical Year. Nature, 457, 459–463.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Toro, M., Camacho, A., Rochera, C., Rico, E., Bañón, M., Fernandez-Valiente, E., Marco, E., Justel, A., Avendaño, M.C., Ariosa, Y., Vincent, W.F.Quesada, A. 2007. Limnological characteristics of the freshwater ecosystems of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, in maritime Antarctica. Polar Biology, 30, 635–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trivelpiece, W.Z., Hinke, J.T., Miller, A.K., Reiss, C.S., Trivelpiece, S.G.Watters, G.M. 2011. Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica. Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences of the United States of America, 108, 7625–7628.Google ScholarPubMed
White, M.G. 1965. Preliminary report on field studies in the South Shetlands Islands 1965/1966. Unpublished field report. BAS archives AD6/2H1966/N6.Google Scholar
Woehler, E.J., Cooper, J., Crozall, J.P., Fraser, W.R., Kooyman, G.L., Miller, G.D., Nel, D.C., Patterson, D.L., Peter, H.-U., Ribic, C.A., Salwicka, K., Trivelpiece, W.Z.Weimerskirch, H. 2000. A statistical assessment of the status and trends of Antarctic and Subantarctic seabirds, Report on SCAR BBS Workshop on Southern Ocean seabird populations. Cambridge: SCAR, 32 pp.Google Scholar