Full Title: Climate change increases reproductive failure in Magellanic penguins
Scientists studied nearly 3,500 Magellanic penguin chicks over 27 years to see how weather affected their survival. Starvation was the most common cause of death overall, but in two years heavy rain killed nearly half of all chicks. Predation and starvation happened every year, while storms caused deaths in about half of the years studied. When more chicks died during storms, fewer survived to fledge, showing storms directly reduced breeding success. Climate change is likely making storms more frequent and intense, which threatens penguins and many other species in the region.
Authors: Dr. Dee Boersma, Dr. Ginger Rebstock
Journal: PLOS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085602
Photo credit: Dee Boersma
