Effects of Sea-Ice Persistence on the Diet of Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) Chicks and the Trophic Differences between Chicks and Adults in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, is one of the most abundant predators in the Antarctic. Its survival depends on numerous factors, including the presence of prey, closely related to sea ice. By changing sea-ice dynamics, climate change could affect its diet and recruitment. The aim of this study is to investigate, by means of stable isotope analysis of their faeces, penguin chicks’ diets in four colonies characterised by differing sea-ice persistence. In order to investigate any differences in diet between chicks and adults, the faeces of the latter were also collected and analysed. The study found that the contribution of krill to the chicks’ diets is generally greater than that of fish but that the proportion depends on the spatiotemporal variability of sea-ice dynamics. In addition, where sea ice was more persistent, the contribution of fish was lower in chicks than in adults. The less negative δ(13)C values of adults than chicks suggest that adults catch prey inshore for themselves and offshore for chicks. The expected variations in sea-ice dynamics and thus prey availability due to climate change might therefore modify the penguins’ diet and thus the role of this dominant endemic species in the Antarctic food web. ABSTRACT: In Antarctica, prey availability for the mesopredator Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, depends on sea-ice dynamics. By affecting cycles of sea-ice formation and melt, climate change could thus affect penguin diet and recruitment. In the light of climate change, this raises concerns about the fate of this dominant endemic species, which plays a key role in the Antarctic food web. However, few quantitative studies measuring the effects of sea-ice persistence on the diet of penguin chicks have yet been conducted. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by comparing penguin diets across four penguin colonies in the Ross Sea and evaluating latitudinal and interannual variation linked to different sea-ice persistence. Diet was evaluated by analysing the δ(13)C and δ(15)N values of penguin guano, and sea-ice persistence by means of satellite images. Isotopic values indicate that penguins consumed more krill in colonies with longer sea-ice persistence. In these colonies, the δ(13)C values of chicks were lower and closer to the pelagic chain than those of adults, suggesting that the latter apparently catch prey inshore for self-feeding and offshore for their chicks. The results indicate that sea-ice persistence is among the principal factors that influence the spatiotemporal variability of the penguins’ diet.