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Magellanic penguins: stomach contents and isotopic profiles to assess the feeding demands of juveniles in a wintering area off Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2014

Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto ,
Roberta Aguiar Dos Santos ,
Karen Russel Rosa  and
Salvatore Siciliano
Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-620, Brazil
Roberta Aguiar Dos Santos
Affiliation:
Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão dos Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul, Av. Ministro Victor Konder, 303, Itajaí, SC 88301-700, Brazil
Karen Russel Rosa
Affiliation:
Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão dos Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul, Av. Ministro Victor Konder, 303, Itajaí, SC 88301-700, Brazil
Salvatore Siciliano
Affiliation:
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões 1480, 6° andar, sala 611, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A.P.M. Di Beneditto, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-620, Brazil email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The stomach contents of juvenile Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus, stranded along the Atlantic coast (21–23°S) during the extreme mortality event of 2008 were analysed. The isotopic profiles of this species and their prey in a wintering area are presented to identify trophic relationships and to evaluate whether the prey species recovered in the stomach contents were assimilated. The prey groups recorded were molluscs (cephalopods and gastropods), teleost fish, and, to a lesser extent, crustaceans (decapods and isopods). Cephalopods were the most representative prey, and Argonauta nodosa was the most abundant species. Plant remains and solid waste were atypical items found in the stomach contents. The nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values found in this study confirm the higher trophic position of the penguins (14.5‰) relative to their prey (11.7–12.3‰). The carbon isotope (δ13C) measurements of all species are characteristic of marine coastal environments (−18.7 to −16.8‰). A Bayesian approach applied to stable isotope mixing models showed that cephalopods are assimilated to a greater extent than fish. However, the poor nutritional condition of specimens that reach the Brazilian coast, especially at the northern limit of migration (~21°S), indicates that prey ingestion is not sufficient for the maintenance of body weight.

Keywords

Spheniscus magellanicuspenguinfeeding habitisotopic signaturesAtlantic Ocean
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 95 , Issue 2 , March 2015 , pp. 423 - 430
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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