Make sure to pick up the latest copy of National Geographic and read about Dr. Dee Boersma‘s work on Galápagos penguins! Reporter Rene Ebersole traveled with Dee and recent grad Caroline Cappello last summer as they checked up on the human-built Galápagos penguin nests they built in 2010. Included in the article is a sweet photo of Dee and Caroline […]
Dr. Dee Boersma featured in latest National Geographic! Read More »
This field season is the first time we’ve been at Punta Tombo, Argentina persistently from October to March since before the pandemic! We’ve seen chicks hatch and watched them grow into chubby fledglings. Unfortunately many died in December with their bellies full; we suspect it was due to toxic algae, which could also be the cause of the 71 southern
Field update: Argentina, December 2024 – January 2025 Read More »
From abstract:“Using a 40-year dataset on free-ranging Magellanic penguins, we find evidence of both positively and negatively correlated behavioural plasticities. Plasticity did not strongly affect lifetime reproductive success, but its effect on interannual performance varied significantly by environmental context: plasticity reduced success in average oceanic conditions, increased success in anomalously productive conditions and, contrary to expectation, did not buffer against
Abstract: Long-term fieldwork is essential for ecology and conservation, but is hindered by institutional barriers, such as the publish-or-perish culture of academia, and funding limitations. Here, we discuss these challenges and propose strategies to overcome them, such as broadening evaluation metrics and supporting inclusivity, to advance scientific insight and societal equity. Authors: Kasim Rafiq, Neil R. Jordan, Weldon McNutt, John
Removing institutional barriers to long-term fieldwork is critical for advancing ecology Read More »
From the abstract: “We found that Spheniscus penguins have pale feet at hatching and the feet become darker with age throughout the lives of individuals. We showed that we can accurately predict the age structure of a colony of Magellanic penguins Spheniscus magellanicus, but not the ages of individual penguins, based on a sample of foot colors.” Authors: Ginger Rebstock,
Foot darkening with age in Spheniscus penguins: applications and functions Read More »
In July 2024, Dr. Dee Boersma and Dr. Caroline Cappello traveled to the Galápagos Islands for a penguin expedition unlike any they’d experienced before. Since 2010, CES has collaborated with Galápagos National Park and conservationist Godfrey Merlen to visit penguin breeding areas and conduct research. After Godfrey’s passing in 2023, CES—with heavy hearts but optimism for the future—sought a new
Field Updates: Galápagos Islands, summer 2024 Read More »
“Using a multidecadal dataset on Magellanic penguins, we show that despite strong selection on body size, some environmental conditions favored larger bodies, and others favored smaller bodies, thus preventing consistent evolution in one direction or the other […] Such findings highlight that fluctuating selection can be driven by environmental variability, and these processes could eliminate the possibility of evolutionary rescue
Published over 10 years ago, Penguins: Natural History and Conservation is still considered the publication about penguins. UW PressBookshop.comAmazon.com Penguins, among the most delightful creatures in the world, are also among the most vulnerable. The fragile status of most penguin populations today mirrors the troubled condition of the southern oceans, as well as larger marine conservation problems: climate change, pollution,
PENGUINS: Natural History and Conservation Read More »
Authors: Kasim Rafiq, Neil R. Jordan, J. Weldon McNutt, John Neelo, Nina Attias, Dee Boersma, Meredith S. Palmer, Jennifer Ruesink, and Briana AbrahmsJournal: ScienceDOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado6937 “By refining the academic system to recognize and support different forms of scientific inquiry equally, we can build the diverse research community necessary to empower discovery across disciplines.”
The value of field research in academia Read More »
Authors: T. J. Clark-Wolf, Katie A. Holt, Erik Johansson, Anna C. Nisi, Kasim Rafiq, Leigh West, P. Dee Boersma, Elliott L. Hazen, Sue E. Moore, Briana AbrahmsJournal: Journal of Applied EcologyDOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14669 “A major obstacle to preventing and reversing biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene lies in the scarcity of tools and data for monitoring the health and trajectory of ecosystems. Sentinel species can provide insight into unobserved ecosystem change,
Authors: Dr. Eric Wagner, Dr. Ginger Rebstock and Dr. P Dee BoersmaJournal: Marine Ecology Press SeriesDOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11258 Excerpt from abstract: Southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) are important consumers that range across the oceans throughout the southern hemisphere […] Here we describe a predation attempt by a trio of southern giant petrels on a molting adult Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) at
Dee took part in a panel during “Celebrating Women’s Impact” on March 15 2024 at the Nixon Library, in honor of Pat Nixon’s 112th birthday and Women’s History Month. The full event was live streamed, and can be watched on YouTube. Dee’s specific panel can be found in this video.
Dee speaks about the ERA at the Nixon Library Read More »
The paper “Climate presses and pulses mediate the decline of a migratory predator”,” published last year ” is the finalist for the Cozzarelli Prize in the category Class VI: Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Congrats to former Abrahms Lab postdoc Dr.T. J. Clark-Wolf, Dr. Dee Boersma, Dr. Ginger A. Rebstock, and Dr. Briana Abrahms! Read the full press release
Center paper finalist for Cozzarelli Prize Read More »
Dr. Dee Boersma received the British Ornithological Union’s Godman Salvin Prize on February 23, 2024, during the Pacific Seabird Group’s annual conference banquet. The Godman Salvin Prize is awarded by BOU Council to honor an individual’s distinguished ornithological work. Recent Godman Salvin Prize recipients include Professor Cao Lei (2023), Professor Nick Davies (2022) and Professor Theunis Piersma (2020). The Committee
Dr. Dee Boersma awarded Godman Salvin Prize Read More »
That’s right- Dee will be featured in a board game! Joining her are Dr. Pablo “Popi” Boroboroglu, Dr. Heather Lynch, Dr. Lloyd Spencer Davis, Dylan deNapoli, and Dr. Katrin Ludynia. Get a $5 discount on your own copy of Waddle Waddle by signing up for updates on their GameFound site. Here’s what Brush-Tail Games said about adding Dee to the
Dr. Dee Boersma will be a playable character in new board game Waddle Waddle Read More »
