Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins: Their Potential as Monitors of the Southern Ocean Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

Analysis of annual variability in the parameters recommended by CCAMLR for ecosystern monitoring revealed considerable variation among the parameters for which we have sufficient data to make an assessment. Interpretation ofthe observed variability was greatly enhanced when several parameters were considered simultaneously. In concert, the parameters should be useful for assessing perturbation in the Antarctic ecosystem. The choice of Adelie and chinstrap penguins as key indicator species seems an excellent one, given their very different responses to the highly variable conditions in the Antarctic Peninsula region, their species-specific breeding patterns, and the asynchrony between their respective breeding seasons. If a time series of data becomes available. it may be possible to differentiate between fishery-induced and natural perturbations in the ecosystem.