Animals’ use of the space while foraging is the result of a complex decision-making process since it is ultimately linked to individuals’ fitness and population dynamics. In penguins, foraging behavior and efficiency are shaped by changes in the environment and, therefore, are good indicators of the health of the southern oceans. Accelerometers were deployed on Magellanic penguins from Martillo Island colony, in the Beagle Channel. The energy expenditure estimates obtained were used to create a predictor model for a trip's total energy expenditure, which was run on data from previous years to investigate the foraging ecology of the colony over the last decade. The energy expenditure calculated from accelerometer data was found to be stable during the trip. The model provided accurate estimates for one kind of trip. Penguins recurrently used an area of highest energy expenditure at the East of the colony. The energetics of foraging of the Magellanic penguin were investigated for the first time at the southernmost distribution of the species. The findings of the present study complement previous tracking research performed at Martillo Island colony and broaden the scope of the foraging ecology and distribution of the species within the Beagle Channel.
Managing Thesis and Internship Exchanges
