| Description |
1 online resource (xiv, 310 pages) : illustrations, maps |
| Contents |
Machine generated contents note: Ch. 1 Introduction -- Ch. 2 Marine Ecology -- Primer on Sea Ice As It Applies to Adelie Penguins -- At-Sea Range and Habitat -- Diet -- Prey Capture -- Foraging Behavior -- Foraging Cycles and Energetics -- How Much Prey Must Adelie Penguins Capture? -- Ch. 3 Breeding Populations: Size and Distribution -- What Is a Penguin Colony? -- Adelie Penguin Colonies and Their Distribution in Antarctica -- Geographic Structure -- Factors Affecting the Distribution of Breeding Colonies -- Ch. 4 Annual Cycle -- Colonial Nesting: Constraints and Advantages -- Timing of Nesting: General Considerations -- Pattern of Colony Occupation -- Timing of Nesting: Geographic Variation -- Timing of Nesting: Effect of Age -- Molt -- Further Thoughts About the Adelie Penguin's Annual Cycle -- Ch. 5 Occupation Period: Pair Formation, Egg Laying, and Incubation -- Age at First Breeding -- Nests and Territories -- Pair Formation and Retention -- Egg-Laying Date -- Eggs -- Incubation -- Hatching Success -- Further Thoughts -- Ch. 6 Reoccupation Period: Chicks and Breeding Success -- Chick -- Phases of Parental Care -- Chick Survival -- Fledging -- Breeding Success -- What Breeding Patterns of Related Species Tell Us About Adelie Penguins -- Reproductive Effort: Age Versus Experience -- Ch. 7 Predation -- Killer Whale -- Leopard Seal -- South Polar Skua -- Ch. 8 Demography -- Why Three-Year-Olds Risk Breeding -- Fecundity -- Survivorship and Age Structure -- Why Is Breeding Deferred? -- Balance of Demographic Variables -- Ch. 9 Bellwether of Climate Change -- Trends in Adelie Penguin Populations -- Factors Explaining Population Trends -- Patterns Revealed in the Prehistoric Record -- Final Thoughts |
| Summary |
The Adélie penguin is one of the best-studied birds in the world and is the subject of research programs from a dozen nations interested in monitoring changes in the environment and the food webs of the Southern Ocean. This species' population has been changing dramatically over the past few decades coincident with a general warming of the maritime portion of Antarctica. When the sea-ice is seen to decline so does the population of Adélie penguins. Further south, however, the population is increasing. This book summarizes our present ecological knowledge of this polar seabird. In so doing, David Ainley describes the ecological factors important to its life history and details the mechanisms by which it is responding to climate change. The author also chronicles the history of research on Adélie penguins, beginning with the heroic expeditions at the beginning of the twentieth century. Weaving together history, ecology, natural history, and written accounts from the earliest Antarctic naturalists into a fascinating account of this charismatic bird, The Adélie Penguin provides a foundation upon which future ornithological research and environmental monitoring can be based. It is a model for investigations into the effect of climate change on a particular species. The book also contains many fine illustrations from the accomplished illustrator Lucia deLeiris and photographs by the author |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-303) |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Adélie penguin -- Climatic factors
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SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Zoology -- Ornithology.
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NATURE -- Birdwatching Guides.
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NATURE -- Animals -- Birds.
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SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Ecology.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| LC no. |
2002024704 |
| ISBN |
0231507321 |
|
9780231507325 |
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