| Autor: |
Pickett, Erin P.1 erin.p.pickett@gmail.com, Fraser, William R.2, Patterson‐fraser, Donna L.2, Cimino, Megan A.3, Torres, Leigh G.1, Friedlaender, Ari S.1,4 |
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| Zdroj: |
Ecology & Evolution (20457758). Oct2018, Vol. 8 Issue 19, p9764-9778. 15p. |
| Abstrakt: |
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, Anvers Island, WAP. Ecologically similar species that share a limited prey resource must occupy disparate foraging niches in order to co‐exist. Therefore, we determined the extent of foraging and dietary niche segregation between Adélie and gentoo penguins during the austral breeding season near Palmer Station. This research was conducted across six breeding seasons, from 2009 to 2014, which allowed us to investigate niche overlap in the context of interannual resource variability. Using biotelemetry and diet sampling, we found substantial overlap in the diets of Adélie and gentoo penguins, who primarily consumed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba); however, our results showed that Adélie and gentoo penguins partitioned this shared prey resource through horizontal segregation of their core foraging areas. We did not find evidence that Antarctic krill were a limiting resource during the breeding season or that climate‐induced sympatry of Adélie and gentoo penguins resulted in competition for prey or caused the subsequent differing population trajectories. This apparent absence of resource competition between Adélie and gentoo penguins throughout this study implies that current population trends in this region are governed by other biological and physical factors. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the mechanistic processes that influence top predator populations in the context of climate‐driven ecosystem shifts. In this study, we investigated foraging and dietary niche partitioning between two recently sympatric Pygoscelis penguin populations on the West Antarctic Peninsula. We did not find evidence that climate‐induced sympatry in this scenario resulted in competitive exclusion. The results of this study provide important and timely insight into the underlying mechanistic processes driving penguin population changes in the Southern Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
GreenFILE |
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