Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 13;13(1):2525. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29465-4.
While population declines among Adélie penguins and population increases among gentoo penguins on the Western Antarctic Peninsula are well established, the logistical challenges of operating in the sea ice-heavy northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula have prohibited reliable monitoring of seabirds in this region. Here we describe the findings of an expedition to the northern and eastern sides of the Antarctic Peninsula-a region at the nexus of two proposed Marine Protected Areas-to investigate the distribution and abundance of penguins in this region. We discovered several previously undocumented penguin colonies, completed direct surveys of three colonies initially discovered in satellite imagery, and re-surveyed several colonies last surveyed more than a decade ago. Whereas our expectation had been that the Peninsula itself would divide the areas undergoing ecological transition and the apparently more stable Weddell Sea region, our findings suggest that the actual transition zone lies in the so-called "Adélie gap," a 400-km stretch of coastline in which Adélies are notably absent. Our findings suggest that the region north and east of this gap represents a distinct ecoregion whose dynamics stand in sharp contrast to surrounding areas and is likely to be impacted by future conservation measures.
虽然阿德利企鹅的数量在减少，而巴布亚企鹅的数量在西南极半岛西部增加，这已经得到了充分的证实，但在南极半岛冰雪覆盖的北端进行操作的后勤挑战，使得对该地区海鸟进行可靠监测成为不可能。在这里，我们描述了一次对南极半岛北部和东部的探险的结果——这个地区位于两个拟议的海洋保护区的交汇处——以调查该地区企鹅的分布和数量。我们发现了几个以前没有记录的企鹅聚居地，完成了对三个最初在卫星图像中发现的聚居地的直接调查，并重新调查了几个十多年前调查过的聚居地。我们原本预计半岛本身将把正在经历生态转变的地区和明显更稳定的威德尔海地区分开，但我们的发现表明，实际的过渡带位于所谓的“阿德利缺口”，这是一个 400 公里长的海岸线，阿德利企鹅在这里明显缺失。我们的发现表明，这个缺口以北和以东的地区代表了一个独特的生态区，其动态与周围地区形成鲜明对比，很可能受到未来保护措施的影响。
