New research particular the devastating impact of an extreme weather condition event on a colony of Magellanic penguin living along Argentina ’s east coast .
Upwards of 354 Magellanic penguins died on Jan. 19 , 2019 , according toresearchpublished in Ornithological Applications . The tragic event chance at Punta Tomba in eastern Argentina , domicile to one of the gravid Magellanic penguin breeding colonies in the world . The biologists behind the new composition , Katie Holt and P. Dee Boersma from the University of Washington , say that , for this mintage , it was an “ unprecedented , single - daylight , heat - link mortality event . ”
On that twenty-four hours in Punta Tomba , the temperature in the shade reach 111 level Fahrenheit ( 44 degrees Celsius ) , mark the highest temperature for the region since recordkeeping began 40 years ago . The previous exclusive - daytime record was 109 degree Fahrenheit ( 43 degrees Celsius ) , but no penguin dice - offs were recorded for that particular issue .
Three Magellanic penguin corpses found at Punta Tombo just after the Jan. 19, 2019 heat wave.Photo: Anna Sulc/University of Washington
“ This utmost event fell near the stern end of the fostering season for Magellanic penguins , so it kill a with child number of adult , as well as chicks , ” Holt , a doctoral student in biology , explicate in a University of Washingtonpress acquittance . “ It ’s the first clip we ’ve record a aggregative mortality result at Punta Tombo connected to extreme temperatures . ”
Sifting through the beach in the day pursue the warmth blast , Holt and Boersma record 264 dead adult and 90 dead chick . Many doll were encounter on their stomachs with all four limb exsert and bills open — a posture commonly used by penguins to throw out excess high temperature . A particularly intemperately - hit section of the colony saw as many as 5 % of 1,153 adults succumbing to the heat . The spotty distribution of mortality rate is likely the result of microclimates and/or mismatched access to the beach , grant to the composition .
office - mortems of the penguins level to dehydration as the elementary cause of death . The research worker did n’t observe other possible causes , such as disease , starvation , or toxic alga . Disturbingly , around one - quarter of all beat penguin died while move from their nesting area to the sea , as the hiss were in all likelihood making a dire dah to reach the sea and draught some precious liquid ( penguins have a special secretor that allows them to trickle table salt from ocean water ) . For some penguins , however , that imply a journey of a full 0.6 miles ( 1 kilometer ) or more and a trek lasting for 40 proceedings .
Close-up views of two penguins, showing the “heat-relief” posture in which they were found.Photo: Katie Holt/University of Washington
“ Any flock die - off like this is a concern , ” said Holt . “ But what is most concerning about heat - demise mortality is that it has the potential to kill a lot of adults , ” who are take to keep the population viable . “ If we ’re lose large numbers of adult from a undivided issue like this , that ’s a major concern , ” she added .
Males expire far more frequently than females , but this reflects a skewed sexual urge ratio ; typical Magellanic colonies host three males to every female . Unlike many of the all in adults , the chicks die with their stomachs full of food . While well hydrated , their tiny bodies could not regulate their temperature in the utmost heating plant , concord to the study .
By documenting the gist of this and other extreme atmospheric condition event , researcher will be better outfit to predict how wildlife will respond to climate modification . And though rare , these events “ are expected to become more frequent and could have severe impacts on populations , ” the scientist publish in their paper . Indeed , intense heat is one of the most revealing signs of clime modification , one that ’s become alarmingly more mutual in recent years .
A Magellanic penguin feeds its chicks while its mate looks on.Photo: Natasha Gownaris/University of Washington
utmost high temperature events are n’t just bad for wildlife — they’re also bad for humans . The warmth dome that struck westerly North America in June 2021 is a recent potent exercise . one C of people diedduring this unprecedented heat spell , settingtemperature recordsin Canada and the Pacific Northwest . A subsequent depth psychology found that the warmth wave was 150 times more potential in our current mood compared to the pre - industrial one . inquiry from 2020 showed that utmost heat might eventuallycauseas many deaths as all infectious disease combine , but , even now , or so one - third of all heating system - related end areattributableto human - caused climate variety .
More : Bee swarm kill 63 queer penguin in “ fluke ” occurrence
Birdspenguins
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , scientific discipline , and culture news show in your inbox daily .
News from the future , delivered to your nowadays .
You May Also Like
