Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand
Related content
(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Female-biased mortality of Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) on the wintering grounds

Full text
Author(s):
Thijl Vanstreels, Ralph Eric [1] ; Adornes, Andrea Corrado [2] ; Canabarro, Paula Lima [2] ; Ruoppolo, Valeria [1, 3] ; Amaku, Marcos [4] ; da Silva-Filho, Rodolfo Pinho [2] ; Catao-Dias, Jose Luiz [1]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Patol, Lab Patol Comparada Anim Selvagens, BR-05088000 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Rio Grande, Museu Oceanog Prof Eliezer de Carvalho Rios, Ctr Recuperacao Anim Marinhos, BR-92200580 Rio Grande, RS - Brazil
[3] Int Fund Anim Welf, Emergency Relief Team, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 - USA
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Epidemiol Bioestat, Dept Med Vet Prevent & Saude Anim, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, BR-05088000 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: EMU: Austral Ornithology; v. 113, n. 2, p. 128-134, 2013.
Web of Science Citations: 11
Abstract

Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) migrate thousands of kilometres from their breeding colonies every winter. Despite the significance of this seasonal movement, aspects of its ecology and implications for conservation biology remain enigmatic. We examined the sex of 528 Magellanic Penguins either beachcast (found dead ashore) or stranded (found alive ashore) in wintering grounds of southern Brazil from 2002 to 2009. We found evidence that: (a) among beachcast Penguins, females significantly outnumbered males; (b) for stranded Penguins that had not been oiled, the sex-ratio was significantly female-biased, whereas among oiled Penguins the sex-ratio was even; (c) among stranded Penguins, females had a lower rate of survival through rehabilitation than males; and (d) for both sexes, juvenile Penguins surviving rehabilitation had greater body mass upon admission than those that died. Our findings suggest an increased mortality of juvenile and adult females might occur during migration, and emphasise that sex may play a significant role in the movement ecology and conservation of this species. Conservation efforts might thus benefit from incorporating sex-based strategies to ensure that biased sex mortality does not have a negative effect on the species, and researchers are encouraged to consider sex as a key component in the ecological research and conservation efforts of this, and other, species of penguin. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 10/51801-5 - Avian malaria and penguins in Brazil: epidemiological and pathological investigations of a disease with potential risks to avian conservation
Grantee:Jose Luiz Catao Dias
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 09/53956-9 - Study of avian malaria in Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) kept in selected Brazilian coast rehabilitation centers
Grantee:Ralph Eric Thijl Del Val Onoro Vanstreels
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)