Happy feet in a hostile world? The future of penguins depends on proactive management of current and expected threats

Penguins face a wide range of threats. Most observed population changes have been negative and have happened over the last 60 years. Today, populations of 11 penguin species are decreasing. Here we present a review that synthesizes details of threats faced by the world's 18 species of penguins. We discuss alterations to their environment at both breeding sites on land and at sea where they forage. The major drivers of change appear to be climate, and food web alterations by marine fisheries. In addition, we also consider other critical and/or emerging threats, namely human disturbance near nesting sites, pollution due to oil, plastics and chemicals such as mercury and persistent organic compounds. Finally, we assess the importance of emerging pathogens and diseases on the health of penguins. We suggest that in the context of climate change, habitat degradation, introduced exotic species and resource competition with fisheries, successful conservation outcomes will require new and unprecedented levels of science and advocacy. Successful conservation stories of penguin species across their geographical range have occurred where there has been concerted effort across local, national and international boundaries to implement effective conservation planning.This work was supported by the WWF-UK and PEW Foundation. SJ is supported by NSF OPP PICA #1643901

Happy feet in a hostile world? The future of penguins depends on proactive management of current and expected threats

Penguins face a wide range of threats. Most observed population changes have been negative and have happened over the last 60 years. Today, populations of 11 of the 18 penguin species are decreasing. Here we present a review that synthesizes details of threats faced by the world’s 18 species of penguins. We discuss alterations to their environment at both breeding sites on land and at sea where they forage. The major drivers of change appear to be climate, and food web alterations by marine fisheries. In addition, we also consider other critical and/or emerging threats, namely human disturbance near nesting sites, pollution due to oil, plastics and chemicals such as mercury and persistent organic compounds. Finally, we assess the importance of emerging pathogens and diseases on the health of penguins. We suggest that in the context of climate change, habitat degradation, introduced exotic species and resource competition with fisheries, successful conservation outcomes will require new and unprecedented levels of science and advocacy. Successful conservation stories of penguin species across their geographical range have occurred where there has been concerted effort across local, national and international boundaries to implement effective conservation planning

COMMON GOOSE BARNACLES LEPAS AUSTRALIS (THORACICA, PEDUNCULATA) ON DECEASED MAGELLANIC PENGUINS SPHENISCUS MAGELLANICUS (AVES)

Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo - FAPESP [2009/53956-9, 2010/51801-5]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico - CNPq [301517/2006-1]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq

Catastrophic mortality of southern elephant seals caused by H5N1 avian influenza

We report on the first outbreak of high pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza, causing extreme mortality in the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, at Península Valdés (PV) and nearby areas, in Argentina. The virus was con-firmed by the Argentine Government Animal Health Service (SENASA) on samples collected from elephant seals at PV. Findings were reported by the national authorities to the World Organisation for Animal Health and are available through the World Animal Health Information System under event ID 5189 (specifically, outbreaks OB_126883 and OB_124986).Fil: Campagna, Claudio. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Uhart, Marcela María. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Falabella, Valeria. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Campagna, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Zavattieri, Victoria. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Vanstreels, Ralph E. T.. University Of California At Davis. School Of Veterinary Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lewis, Mirtha Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentin

Phthalate Esters (Plasticizers) in The Uropygial Gland and Their Relationship To Plastics Ingestion In Seabirds Along The Coast Of EspíRito Santo, Eastern Brazil

Plastic ingestion is a problem for seabirds worldwide. In addition to direct health effects such as obstruction or perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, plastic ingestion can also lead to indirect health effects through the release of chemicals that may be absorbed and cause systemic and chronic toxicity. Among chemicals that can be released by plastics are phthalate esters, a group of chemicals widely used as plasticizers or additives to change the physical characteristics of plastics. In this study, three phthalate esters, dimethyl phthalate (DMP), dibuthyl phthalate (DBP), and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), were quantified in the uropygial gland of 48 seabirds from 16 species collected ashore in a tropical region, the coast of Espírito Santo, Eastern Brazil. Including trace levels, DMP was detected in 16 birds (33%) from 10 species, with an average concentration of 0.014 ± 0.005 ng/μl (mean ± SD for individuals with concentrations above the practical level of detection of 0.01 ng/μl). DBP was detected in 15 birds (31%) from 11 species, with an average concentration of 0.049 ± 0.032 ng/μl. DEHP was detected in 21 birds (44%) from 11 species, with an average concentration of 0.115 ± 0.105 ng/μl. DMP concentration in the uropygial gland was positively associated with the presence, number, and mass of plastic items in the upper digestive tract. However, no such relationship was noted for DBP nor DEHP, suggesting the concentration of phthalate compounds in the uropygial gland might not always serve as a reliable proxy for plastic ingestion. In spite of relatively high frequencies of detection, the low concentrations of phthalates detected in this study suggest levels of exposure below known toxicity thresholds. Further studies on the potential adverse effects of phthalate exposure in seabirds are necessary, especially on the reproductive development of embryos and chicks.Fil: Vanstreels, Ralph E. T.. No especifíca;Fil: Piccinin, Isadora N. L.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Maraschin, Marcelo. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Gallo, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Serafini, Patricia P.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Pereira, Alice. No especifíca;Fil: Santos, Allan P.. No especifíca;Fil: Egert, Leandro. No especifíca;Fil: Uhart, Marcela M.. No especifíca

Nasal, oral and rectal microbiota of Black lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus)

Black lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) are endangered callithrichids. Their conservation may require future translocations or reintroductions; however these approaches involve risks of pathogen introduction in the environment and stress-related opportunistic infections in these animals. In order to screen for opportunistic and potential pathogenic bacterial and fungal microbiota, ten free-ranging and ten captive Black lion tamarins were studied and the results compared. Nasal, oral and rectal swabs were collected and cultured for aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria and fungi, and a total 203 bacterial and 84 fungal isolates were obtained. Overall, the most frequent organisms were Staphylococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. Microbiota of free-ranging and captive animals were similar in composition. A number of potentially pathogenic organisms were identified, emphasizing the importance of microbiological screening in future translocation or reintroduction conservation management programs.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Exploring the relationship between environmental drivers and the manifestation of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in eastern Brazil

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease characterized by epithelial tumors that can impede life-sustaining activities of sea turtles, especially green turtles (Chelonia mydas). FP is caused by a herpesvirus, but environmental factors are also thought to play a role in triggering FP tumor growth. In this study, we evaluate the epidemiology of FP tumors in green turtles along the coast of Espírito Santo, Brazil, a region where juvenile green turtles are known to aggregate with high FP prevalence. A dataset comprising 2024 beach-cast green turtles recorded through daily beach surveys on 400 km of coastline from 2018 to 2021 (inclusive) was evaluated. FP tumors were recorded in 40.9% of the individuals in this dataset, and presence of FP tumors was predicted by individual variables (presence of marine leeches, stranding code, curved carapace length, body mass-size residual) and characteristics of the stranding site (distance to nearest metallurgical plant, mean sea surface salinity (SSS), annual range of sea surface temperature (SST)). Additionally, a second dataset comprising detailed information about the size and anatomical distribution of tumors in 271 green turtles with FP from the same region was evaluated. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed these turtles could be classified in three groups according to the anatomical distribution of their tumors, and in turn the group to which each turtle was assigned could be predicted by the study period (2010–2014 vs. 2018–2022) and by characteristics of the stranding/capture site (green turtle stranding density, mean sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration, mean SSS, mean SST, annual range of SST). These results corroborate that individual and environmental factors play a significant role driving FP epidemiology. Furthermore, the results suggest that rather than behaving as a single entity, FP may be seen as a mosaic of distinct anatomical patterns that are not necessarily driven by the same environmental factors

Summary of southern hemisphere phenological data by region.

<p>N is the number of datasets with a span of at least 10 years of data; 1208 data sets in total. N* is the number of datasets where trends over time [days/decade] were assessed – the three columns (earlier, later and no change [i.e. trend was calculated but was not considered statistical significant]; confidence level as reported in original papers, generally 5% level) sum to N*. Notes: * subantarctic regions under the jurisdiction of South America, Africa and Australia are included in Antarctic/subantarctic (e.g. Marion Island, Falkland Islands, Macquarie Island). ^† Freshwater species comprise Ardeidae (bitterns, herons and egrets), Anatidae (ducks and geese), Podicipedidea (grebes), Anhingidae (darters), and Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants). Marine species comprise penguins, seals, terns, gulls, albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters. ^§ Range is based on 5^th to 95^th percentiles.</p

Southern hemisphere phenological data set summaries.

<p>(a) Number of southern hemisphere phenological data sets by taxon and main foraging habitat, (b) Summary of direction of trends in southern hemisphere phenological data (%) by main season of phenological event, as a percentage of cases.</p><p>(c) Summary of southern hemisphere phenological data (number) by phenophase.</p><p>Not all datasets had published trends (and those that did were predominantly from Australia, see text for details) or directions of change and only those which explicitly tested for temporal trends are included here. A subset of these, which also recorded the standard error of the trend estimate, is analysed in more detail in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0075514#pone.0075514.s002" target="_blank">Appendix S2</a>. No change indicates a trend was calculated but was not considered statistical significant (confidence level as reported in original papers, generally 5% level). Mean trend in days per decade. ^§ Range is based on 5^th to 95^th percentiles. Ratio (−/+) is the ratio of the number of negative to the number of positive trends observed, irrespective of the significance of the trend. Not all studies provided trends estimates [e.g. days/year] so the sum of the two ratio values do not equal the sum of Earlier, Later, No Change (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0075514#pone-0075514-t002" target="_blank">Table 2a</a>), N in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0075514#pone-0075514-t002" target="_blank">Table 2b</a> or the sum of the two ratio values. South American plant datasets were classified as wet or dry season but, as none had trends recorded, they have been excluded from this table.</p