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

Autor(es)

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]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: EMU: Austral Ornithology; v. 113, n. 2, p. 128-134, 2013.
• Citações Web of Science: 11

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/51801-5 - Malária aviária e pinguins no Brasil: estudo epiemiológico e patológico de uma enfermidade com potencial risco à conservação da avifauna
• Beneficiário: Jose Luiz Catao Dias
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 09/53956-9 - Estudo da malária aviária em pinguins-de-Magalhães (Spheniscus magellanicus) mantidos em centros de reabilitação selecionados do litoral brasileiro
• Beneficiário: Ralph Eric Thijl Del Val Onoro Vanstreels
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado Direto