Behaviour and breeding success of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua in areas of low and high human activity
A key factor influencing wildlife responses to human activity is the degree to which animals have been previously exposed to human stimuli. On subantarctic Macquarie Island, gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua breed in areas of high and low human activity (on and off-station, respectively). We investigated the behaviour and breeding success of gentoo penguins on and […]
Activity rhythms at a gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) colony at Cierva Point, Antarctic Peninsula
We studied activity rhythms at a gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) colony at Cierva Point, Antarctic Peninsula, during the 1992-93 summer. We counted the number of penguins crossing a specific point on their route to and from the colony. Penguins showed a strong daily rhythm of activity, with a two-peak pattern for those leaving the colony […]
Acoustic systems are adapted to breeding ecologies: individual recognition in nesting penguins
In all species of penguins studied to date, the display call, or parental call, has been demonstrated experimentally to facilitate identification between mates and between chicks and parents. We investigated parent–chick recognition in two nesting species, the Ade´lie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, and the gentoo penguin, P. papua. Through playback experiments, we tested the capacity of […]
Sex Identification of Four Penguin Species Using Locus-Specific PCR
Traditional methods for sex identification are not applicable to sexually monomorphic species, leading to difficulties in the management of their breeding programs. To identify sex in sexually monomorphic birds, molecular methods have been established. Two established primer pairs (2550F/2718R and p8/p2) amplify the CHD1 gene region from both the Z and W chromosomes. Here, we […]