Direct Tracking and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis Identifies Dispersal Routes and Cryptic Latitudinal Trends in the Winter Distribution of Two Antarctic Penguin Species

Animal dispersal behaviors have both ecological and evolutionary significance. However, due to the logistical challenges of tracking animals in the Antarctic marine environment little is known about the winter dispersal and migration of Antarctic marine predators. We used a combination of direct tracking (Geolocation sensors; GLS) and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of carbon in essential amino acids (CSIA-AA) to describe the winter distribution of two wide-ranging marine predators, the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) and chinstrap penguin (P. antarctica) along the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc. GLS and CSIA-AA identified two general migration strategies, with animals overwintering to the east or west of the Antarctic Peninsula, with CSIA-AA also being able to discriminate between ice-free vs. pack-ice habitats. In addition, CSIA-AA provided the ability to assign non GLS-tracked chinstrap penguins from multiple breeding sites across the Scotia Arc to specific over-wintering areas. This provided a first ever, regional-scale analyses of the winter movements and distributions of the species and identified a cryptic latitudinal trend that would have been otherwise undetectable. Breeding colonies farther north were more likely to have individuals dispersing eastwards relative to colonies further south where most individual dispersed westwards, possibly due to a combination of proximity and competition avoidance. Finally we highlight how CSIA-AA approaches can be applied to other studies of the distribution and ecology of marine top predators.