Evidence of eastern rockhopper penguin feeding on a key commercial arrow squid species

Guímaro, Hugo R.; Thompson, David R.; Morrison, Kyle W.; Fragão, Joana; Matias, Ricardo S.; Xavier, José C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9621-6660. 2025 Evidence of eastern rockhopper penguin feeding on a key commercial arrow squid species. Polar Biology, 48 (34). 7, pp. 10.1007/s00300-025-03358-w

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Abstract/Summary

Cephalopods are crucial to the Southern Ocean ecosystem, connecting top predators with mid-trophic organisms, yet their ecology in the Pacific sector is not well understood. This research used stable isotope analysis to explore the habitat and trophic ecology of cephalopods found in the diet of eastern rockhopper penguins ( Eudyptes chrysocome filholi ) around Campbell Island, a New Zealand sub-Antarctic island. Eastern rockhopper penguins were used as biologic samplers, revealing some differences in cephalopod diversity and ecology between two breeding seasons—1986–87 and 2012–13—, and the squid Nototodarus sloanii , a commercially valuable species, was described for the first time in the 2012–13 season. Stable isotope values ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N) for the squid species Moroteuthopsis ingens were consistent between seasons, indicating ecological stability, whereas the octopod species Octopus campbelli showed changes, suggesting shifts in habitat and feeding. Warmer oceanic temperatures in 2012–13 may have facilitated the emergence of N. sloanii on the diet of the eastern rockhopper penguins. These findings highlight potential changes in cephalopod biodiversity in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, emphasizing the need for further research on ecological dynamics of this region.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1007/s00300-025-03358-w
ISSN:	0722-4060
Additional Keywords:	Arrow squid · Campbell Island · Cephalopods · Eudyptes chrysocome flholi · Stable isotope analyses
Date made live:	10 Feb 2025 10:38 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538881

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