Interannual variation in the summer diet of Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Edmonson Point

Diet sampling of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) was carried out at two colonies, in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, to study the feeding ecology of this species for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Ecosystem Monitoring Program. The study took place at Edmonson Point CEMP site over five years, 1995-97, 1999, 2001 and was extended to Inexpressible Island in 2001. Mean diet composition varied from year to year and between the two locations in 2001. Meal size for chicks was found to be higher during the crèche than the guard period and males were found to return with a larger mean meal weight containing more krill than females. The overall composition of diet varied between locations: mean weight of food and krill content were generally higher at Edmonson Point. In the guard period, mean weight of food was lower at Inexpressible Island. Mean content of Euphausia superba was significantly higher at Inexpressible Island while more E. crystallorophias was found in stomach contents from Edmonson Point.