Residing in the West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean penguins are strikingly different than their other penguin relatives. With a black stripe and colored spots (typically black and pink) on the chest, have patterns of spots unique for every penguin, just like human fingerprints. In recent years, the penguin populations have been on a significant decline. For much of that time, the reason seemed to be because of the melting of their icy habitat as a result of global warming. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography conducted a study delving deeper into the issue. Although it is true that the decline in penguins are in part caused by the melting of the sea ice, there are other contributors. "While the researchers say that ice loss does affect penguins, they say the more important problem appears to be a decline in the population of Antarctic krill [in which penguins prey on are] tiny shrimplike crustaceans that dwell in vast schools." Reported in June, the penguins are not just competing with other neighbors in the ocean, they are also competing with humans. "Krill, it turns out, are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, used in dietary supplements. They are also used to make animal feed and to nourish the world’s growing aquaculture industry." With the decline of krill, there is less food for the penguins to eat, therefore, they must seek out other sources of food to eat, and when there is not enough food for them to eat, it results in their death.
According to Dictionary.com, Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Penguins are a primary species found in the southern oceans, and the New York Times article, "Follow the Krill: A New Theory on Penguins' Decline" written by David Jolly indicates that the declining of penguins is a serious matter. The Southern Ocean penguins are on the road to extinction, a critical ecological problem. Therefore, this article adequately relates to this course.
I really enjoyed reading about this issue. You never truly know how bad a situation is until you read up about it and do some research. The penguins are in danger down in the south and it is imperative that we do something about it. By overfishing for krill, we are taking away a food source for a key species, which will eventually become extinct as a result of something preventable. This issue needs to be more vocalized to spread awareness and help alleviate this preventable issue.
Picture Sources:
- http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/13/business/penguin/penguin-blog480.jpg
- http://www.petsfoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Freedom-For-Penguins5.jpg
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJFST_a6LclNzp0vpGSxUgPRTN5MIc8dmV_rw6RJ-BMhPv_q0N-ADsPvCUZ5VDEw5Gta0wzT0lhb_6kU0RoCiimrF_uzqwOMTSBT21Rtics2j6L4Nek2BjKHXpQ4II-5di9t62xD-9DwG/s1600/1Amap.jpg
- http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/follow-the-krill-a-new-theory-on-penguins-decline/
- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ecology
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