Stable isotope analyses of ancient and modern Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) mummies from the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica

We performed stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analyses of 12 ancient Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) chick mummies recovered from abandoned colonies in the Ross Sea region, Antarctica, to investigate isotopic variation and fractionation over time. We also examined latitudin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar biology 2019-06, Vol.42 (6), p.1183-1192
Main Authors: Kristan, Allyson K., Emslie, Steven D., Patterson, William P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carcasses
Chicks
Colonies
Diet
Ecology
Feathers
Food habits
Fractionation
Isotope fractionation
Isotopes
Juveniles
Krill
Latitudinal variations
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Oceanography
Original Paper
Penguins
Plant Sciences
Prey
Pygoscelis adeliae
Skin
Stable isotopes
Tissues
Toenail
Variation
Zoology
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Summary:We performed stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analyses of 12 ancient Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) chick mummies recovered from abandoned colonies in the Ross Sea region, Antarctica, to investigate isotopic variation and fractionation over time. We also examined latitudinal variation in penguin diet to address if the modern dietary pattern (an increase in krill as dominant prey to the north) in this region has existed in the past or if this is a recent phenomenon. The ancient mummies range in age from > 48,000 14 C years before present (BP) to ~ 500 calendar years BP. Feather, skin, bone, and toenail samples were analyzed from each individual where available. Identical analyses were performed on five modern mummified Adélie penguin chick carcasses and breast feathers of ten recently dead chicks from each of two active colonies, Cape Hallett and Adélie Cove. We found significantly lower δ 15 N values in Cape Hallett modern chicks as compared to those from Adélie Cove, indicating an entire trophic-level difference in modern diet that agrees with other studies in this region. The ancient mummies exhibited consistent isotopic fractionation of δ 13 C among the four different tissues through time. Variation in δ 15 N and δ 13 C values was greater in bone and skin than in feather or toenail, but δ 15 N in all four tissues indicated similar dietary trends with latitude as occurs in this region today. These results provide insight into the dietary variability of Adélie penguins across the Ross Sea region and a framework for similar analyses with other avian species.
ISSN:0722-4060
1432-2056
DOI:10.1007/s00300-019-02513-4