Multi-modal survey of Adélie penguin mega-colonies reveals the Danger Islands as a seabird hotspot
Autor: | Alex Borowicz, Melissa Rider, Gemma V. Clucas, Mathew R. Schwaller, Stéphanie Jenouvrier, Steven Forrest, Michael J. Polito, Hanumant Singh, Thomas Sayre-McCord, Rachael Herman, Casey Youngflesh, Tom Hart, Heather J. Lynch, Philip McDowall |
---|---|
Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Satellite Imagery Climate Change Population Dynamics Climate change Geographic Mapping lcsh:Medicine 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Article Peninsula biology.animal Hotspot (geology) Animals Satellite imagery 14. Life underwater lcsh:Science Islands Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology lcsh:R Adelie penguin biology.organism_classification Spheniscidae Pygoscelis Fishery Geography Marine protected area lcsh:Q Seabird Animal Distribution |
Zdroj: | Scientific Reports, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2018) Scientific Reports |
ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
Popis: | Despite concerted international effort to track and interpret shifts in the abundance and distribution of Adélie penguins, large populations continue to be identified. Here we report on a major hotspot of Adélie penguin abundance identified in the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). We present the first complete census of Pygoscelis spp. penguins in the Danger Islands, estimated from a multi-modal survey consisting of direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. Our survey reveals that the Danger Islands host 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins, more than the rest of AP region combined, and include the third and fourth largest Adélie penguin colonies in the world. Our results validate the use of Landsat medium-resolution satellite imagery for the detection of new or unknown penguin colonies and highlight the utility of combining satellite imagery with ground and UAV surveys. The Danger Islands appear to have avoided recent declines documented on the Western AP and, because they are large and likely to remain an important hotspot for avian abundance under projected climate change, deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |