Publications

reproductive performance and diving behaviour share a common sea-ice concentration optimum in adélie penguins (pygoscelis adeliae).	the southern ocean is currently experiencing major environmental changes, including in sea-ice cover. such changes strongly influence ecosystem structure and functioning and affect the survival and reproduction of predators such as seabirds. these effects are likely mediated by reduced availability of food resources. as such, seabirds are reliable eco-indicators of environmental conditions in the antarctic region. here, based on 9 years of sea-ice data, we found that the breeding success of adél ...	2018	29957836
population response of an apex antarctic consumer to its prey and climate fluctuations.	a fundamental endeavor in population ecology is to identify the drivers of population dynamics. a few empirical studies included the effect of prey abundance when investigating simultaneously the effects of density-dependence and climate factors on marine top-predator population dynamics. our aim was to unravel the mechanisms forcing population dynamics of an apex consumer seabird, the south polar skua, using long-term climatic and population time series of the consumer and its prey in terre adé ...	2019	30116877
comparative population genomics reveals key barriers to dispersal in southern ocean penguins.	the mechanisms that determine patterns of species dispersal are important factors in the production and maintenance of biodiversity. understanding these mechanisms helps to forecast the responses of species to environmental change. here, we used a comparative framework and genomewide data obtained through rad-seq to compare the patterns of connectivity among breeding colonies for five penguin species with shared ancestry, overlapping distributions and differing ecological niches, allowing an exa ...	2018	30308702
spatial niche partitioning may promote coexistence of pygoscelis penguins as climate-induced sympatry occurs.	climate-induced range overlap can result in novel interactions between similar species and potentially lead to competitive exclusion. the west antarctic peninsula (wap) is one of the most rapidly warming regions on earth and is experiencing a poleward climate migration from a polar to subpolar environment. this has resulted in a range expansion of the ice-intolerant gentoo penguins (pygoscelis papua) and a coincident decrease in ice-obligate adélie penguins (p. adeliae) near palmer station, anve ...	2018	30386573
central place foragers select ocean surface convergent features despite differing foraging strategies.	discovering the predictors of foraging locations can be challenging, and is often the critical missing piece for interpreting the ecological significance of observed movement patterns of predators. this is especially true in dynamic coastal marine systems, where planktonic food resources are diffuse and must be either physically or biologically concentrated to support upper trophic levels. in the western antarctic peninsula, recent climate change has created new foraging sympatry between adélie ...	2019	30655549
evidence of age-related improvement in the foraging efficiency of adélie penguins.	age variation in reproductive performance is well-documented but the mechanisms underlying this variation remain unclear. foraging efficiency is likely to be a key source of demographic variation as it determines the amount of energy that can be invested in fitness-related activities. evidence of age-related changes in the foraging efficiency of adult seabirds is scarce and inconsistent. we investigated the effects of age on the foraging efficiency of breeding adélie penguins, a relatively short ...	2019	30833598
antarctic penguins as reservoirs of diversity for avian avulaviruses.	wild birds harbor a huge diversity of avian avulaviruses (formerly avian paramyxoviruses). antarctic penguin species have been screened for avian avulaviruses since the 1980s and, as such, are known hosts of these viruses. in this study, we screened three penguin species from the south shetland islands and the antarctic peninsula for avian avulaviruses. we show that adelie penguins (pygoscelis adeliae) are hosts for four different avian avulavirus species, the recently described avian avulavirus ...	2019	30894472
nonbreeder birds at colonies display qualitatively similar seasonal mass change patterns as breeders.	the difficulty in studying nonbreeding birds means that little is known about them or their resource requirements, despite forming a large and significant component of a population. one way to assess food requirements is to examine changes in body mass, because it indicates the amount of food acquired. in terms of body mass changes, our expectation is that nonbreeders will either (a) be in poorer condition than the breeders which potentially explains why they do not breed or (b) remain at a stab ...	2019	31031932
when the "selfish herd" becomes the "frozen herd": spatial dynamics and population persistence in a colonial seabird.	aggregations are common in ecological systems at a range of scales and may be driven by exogenous constraints such as environmental heterogeneity and resource availability or by "self-organizing" interactions among individuals. one mechanism leading to self-organized animal aggregations is captured by hamilton's "selfish herd" hypothesis, which suggests that aggregations may be driven by an individual's effort to minimize their risk of predation by surrounding themselves with conspecifics. we de ...	2019	31310664
novel penguin avian avulaviruses 17, 18 and 19 are widely distributed in the antarctic peninsula.	three novel avian avulavirus species were discovered and isolated during 2017 from gentoo penguins (pygoscelis papua) at kopaitic island in the northwestern region of the antarctic peninsula. the viruses were officially named as avian avulavirus 17 (aav17), avian avulavirus 18 (aav18) and avian avulavirus 19 (aav19), collectively referred to as penguin avulaviruses (pavs). to determine whether these viruses are capable of infecting the three species of pygoscelis spp. penguins (gentoo, adelie an ...	2019	31355981
the interaction between island geomorphology and environmental parameters drives adélie penguin breeding phenology on neighboring islands near palmer station, antarctica.	despite many studies on adélie penguin breeding phenology, understanding the drivers of clutch initiation dates (cids, egg 1 lay date) is limited or lacks consensus. here, we investigated adélie penguin cids over 25 years (1991-2016) on two neighboring islands, torgersen and humble (<1 km apart), in a rapidly warming region near palmer station, antarctica. we found that sea ice was the primary large-scale driver of cids and precipitation was a secondary small-scale driver that fine-tunes cid to ...	2019	31463025
penguin megrivirus, a novel picornavirus from an adélie penguin (pygoscelis adeliae).	the complete genome sequence of a novel megrivirus of the family picornaviridae was determined from nucleic acid extracted from a pool of six faecal specimens of adélie penguins. the samples were collected near bellingshausen station, king george island of the south shetland islands, antarctica. penguin megrivirus is the first megrivirus with a predicted l protein. it has an l-3-5-4 genome layout, a type iv ires, and a long 3' untranslated region of 668 nt.	2019	31494778
identification of a novel adélie penguin circovirus at cape crozier (ross island, antarctica).	understanding the causes of disease in antarctic wildlife is crucial, as many of these species are already threatened by environmental changes brought about by climate change. in recent years, antarctic penguins have been showing signs of an unknown pathology: a feather disorder characterised by missing feathers, resulting in exposed skin. during the 2018-2019 austral summer breeding season at cape crozier colony on ross island, antarctica, we observed for the first time an adélie penguin chick ...	2019	31766719
pingu virus: a new picornavirus in penguins from antarctica.	picornaviridae family comprises single-stranded, positive-sense rna viruses distributed into forty-seven genera. picornaviruses have a broad host range and geographic distribution in all continents. in this study, we applied a high-throughput sequencing approach to examine the presence of picornaviruses in penguins from king george island, antarctica. we discovered and characterized a novel picornavirus from cloacal swab samples of gentoo penguins (pygoscelis papua), which we tentatively named p ...	2019	31850147
application of δ15n to trace the impact of penguin guano on terrestrial and aquatic nitrogen cycles in victoria land, ross sea region, antarctica.	penguin colonies in antarctica offer an ideal "natural laboratory" to investigate ecosystem function and the nitrogen (n) cycle. this study assessed the spatial distribution of penguin-derived n from guano and quantitatively assessed its impact on plant n utilization strategies in victoria land, ross sea region, antarctica. soil, moss, and aquatic microbial mats were collected inside and outside an active adélie penguin (pygoscelis adeliae) colony and analyzed for δ15n of total and inorganic nit ...	2020	31874340
a smelly business: microbiology of adélie penguin guano (point thomas rookery, antarctica).	adélie penguins (pygoscelis adeliae) are the most numerous flightless bird group breeding in coastal areas of maritime and continental antarctica. their activity leaves a mark on the land in the form of large guano deposits. this guano is an important nutrient source for terrestrial habitats of ice-free antarctic areas, most notably by being the source of ammonia vapors which feed the surrounding grass, lichen and algae communities. although investigated by researchers, the fate of the guano-ass ...	2020	31978775
anthropogenic radionuclides in antarctic biota - dosimetrical considerations.	the article presents results of the research on artificial radionuclides (137cs, 90sr, 241am) in the antarctic environment. samples of 12 species from the marine environment: pygoscelis adeliae, pygoscelis papua, macronectes giganteus, pagodroma nivea, catharacta antarctica, leptonychotes weddellii, mirounga leonina, harpagifer antarcticus, chaenocephalus aceratus, nacella concinna, himantothallus grandifolius, iridaea cordata (bones, feathers, soft tissues, eggs' shells of birds, bones, skin, f ...	2020	31983449
characterization of staphylococcus intermedius group isolates associated with animals from antarctica and emended description of staphylococcus delphini.	members of the genus staphylococcus are widespread in nature and occupy a variety of niches, however, staphylococcal colonization of animals in the antarctic environment has not been adequately studied. here, we describe the first isolation and characterization of two staphylococcus intermedius group (sig) members, staphylococcus delphini and staphylococcus pseudintermedius, in antarctic wildlife. staphylococcus delphini were found exclusively in adélie penguins. the report of s. pseudintermediu ...	2020	32024111
adélie penguin colonies as indicators of brominated flame retardants (bfrs) in east antarctica.	while persistent organic pollutant (pop) contamination within antarctica is largely caused by long-range atmospheric transport (lrat), antarctic research bases have been shown to be local sources of pops such as brominated flame retardants (bfrs). this study compared concentrations of seven polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbde) congeners and five novel flame retardants (nbfrs) found in adélie penguin (pygoscelis adeliae) colony soils near the australian research stations, mawson and davis, to as ...	2020	32126331
density dependence forces divergent population growth rates and alters occupancy patterns of a central place foraging antarctic seabird.	density-dependent regulation is an important process in spatio-temporal population dynamics because it can alter the effects of synchronizing processes operating over large spatial scales. most frequently, populations are regulated by density dependence when higher density leads to reduced individual fitness and population growth, but inverse density dependence can also occur when small populations are subject to higher extinction risks. we investigate whether density-dependent regulation influe ...	2020	32184985
sea ice predicts long-term trends in adélie penguin population growth, but not annual fluctuations: results from a range-wide multiscale analysis.	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 mu ...	2020	32190944
latitudinal, sex and inter-specific differences in mercury and other trace metal concentrations in adélie and emperor penguins in the ross sea, antarctica.	we sought to determine mercury (hg) and other trace metal concentrations in adélie (pygoscelis adeliae) and emperor penguin (aptenodytes forsteri) breast feathers from the ross sea, antarctica, and relate those concentrations to the trophic position and the habitats in which each of these species forage. adélie penguin feathers from the southern ross sea colonies were higher in hg than those sampled further north in the ross sea, potentially due to greater exposure to local sources, such as volc ...	2020	32319892
drivers of concentrated predation in an antarctic marginal-ice-zone food web.	predators impact preyscapes (3-d distribution of forage species) by consuming prey according to their abilities or by altering prey behavior as they avoid being consumed. we elucidate prey (antarctic silverfish[pleuragramma antarctica] and crystal krill[euphausia chrystallorophias]) responses to predation associated with the marginal ice zone (miz) of the mcmurdo sound, antarctica, polynya. prey abundance and habitat was sampled across a 30 × 15 km area by remotely-operated vehicle, and included ...	2020	32350362
genetic factors for short life span associated with evolution of the loss of flight ability.	acquisition or loss of flying ability is evolutionarily linked with maximum life span (mls) in mammals and birds. although ecological factors, such as extrinsic mortality, may lead to either shortened or extended life spans through natural selection, mls is influenced by complex molecular and metabolic processes, and the genetic changes associated with flying ability that have led to either a longer or shorter mls are unknown. here, we examine the parallel evolution of flight in mammals and bird ...	2020	32607209
foraging behavior links sea ice to breeding success in antarctic penguins.	population trends and breeding success variability of adélie penguins, a bioindicator of antarctic environments, have been attributed to changing sea-ice extents; however, causative mechanisms remain unclear. by electronically tagging 175 penguins in four seasons with contrasting sea-ice conditions, we show that ice-free environments enhance, not deteriorate, foraging efficiencies and breeding success. in an ice-free season, penguins traveled by swimming rather than walking, leading to larger fo ...	2020	32637612
biological factors affecting total mercury and methylmercury levels in antarctic penguins.	penguins in antarctica occupy high trophic levels, thus accumulating high amounts of mercury (hg) through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. blood reflects the current levels of contaminants circulating in the body, while feathers are known as the main route of hg elimination in birds. studies sampling chicks and adults can provide a comprehensive picture of bioaccumulation and local contamination. three pygoscelid species (pygoscelis adeliae, pygoscelis antarcticus and pygoscelis papua) have ...	2020	32738710
identification of circovirus genome in a chinstrap penguin (pygoscelis antarcticus) and adélie penguin (pygoscelis adeliae) on the antarctic peninsula.	circoviruses infect a variety of animal species and have small (~1.8-2.2 kb) circular single-stranded dna genomes. recently a penguin circovirus (pencv) was identified associated with an adélie penguin (pygoscelis adeliae) with feather disorder and in the cloacal swabs of three asymptomatic adélie penguins at cape crozier, antarctica. a total of 75 cloacal swab samples obtained from adults and chicks of three species of penguin (genus: pygoscelis) from seven antarctic breeding colonies (south sh ...	2020	32781620
antarctic adélie penguin feathers as bio-indicators of geographic and temporal variations in heavy metal concentrations in their habitats.	seabird feathers are effective indicators of heavy metal contamination. to propose a biological detection method suitable for the long-term monitoring of heavy metals in the antarctic environment, eight heavy metals (as, cd, cr, cu, hg, ni, pb, and zn) in adélie penguin feathers from different body parts, years, and molting grounds in the antarctic were investigated in this study. it is found that the concentrations of heavy metals in the feathers showed differences among the body part of origin ...	2020	32866890
identification and distribution of novel cressdnaviruses and circular molecules in four penguin species in south georgia and the antarctic peninsula.	there is growing interest in uncovering the viral diversity present in wild animal species. the remote antarctic region is home to a wealth of uncovered microbial diversity, some of which is associated with its megafauna, including penguin species, the dominant avian biota. penguins interface with a number of other biota in their roles as marine mesopredators and several species overlap in their ranges and habitats. to characterize the circular single-stranded viruses related to those in the phy ...	2020	32947826
multidrone aerial surveys of penguin colonies in antarctica.	speed is essential in wildlife surveys due to the dynamic movement of animals throughout their environment and potentially extreme changes in weather. in this work, we present a multirobot path-planning method for conducting aerial surveys over large areas designed to make the best use of limited flight time. unlike current survey path-planning solutions based on geometric patterns or integer programs, we solve a series of satisfiability modulo theory instances of increasing complexity. each ins ...	2020	33115884
counting penguins with drones.	a multidrone path-planning algorithm enables drones to scout adélie penguin colonies in antarctica.	2020	33115885
avian orthoavulavirus 1 (newcastle disease virus) antibodies in five penguin species, antarctic peninsula and southern patagonia.	avian orthoavulavirus 1 (aoav-1) causes newcastle disease, one of the most important and contagious infections in poultry, where migratory birds can play a key role as a reservoir. seven hundred and seven serum samples were collected from five penguin species (king, magellanic, gentoo, chinstrap and adelie penguins) in the antarctic and sub-antarctic zones. using a competitive elisa to detect antibodies against aoav-1, we identified positive individuals in all penguin species. the magellanic pen ...	2021	33587778
health surveillance of penguins in the barton peninsula on king george island, antarctica.	samples from 29 adult gentoo (pygoscelis papua), chinstrap (pygoscelis antarcticus), and adélie penguins (pygoscelis adeliae) at the king sejong station on nar̢ ebski point, king george island, antarctica, were investigated to detect antibodies to avian influenza, newcastle disease virus, infectious bursal disease virus, infectious bronchitis virus, mycoplasma, and salmonella. antibodies were identified from one gentoo penguin and one chinstrap penguin against infectious bronchitis virus; from o ...	2021	33872350