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Late Holocene Occupation of Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis Papua) on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica

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Late Holocene Occupation of Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis Papua) on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica Polar Biol (2011) 34:283–290 DOI 10.1007/s00300-010-0886-9 ORIGINAL PAPER Late Holocene occupation of Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica Steven D. Emslie • Kerry Baumann • Marcel van Tuinen Received: 17 July 2010 / Revised: 29 July 2010 / Accepted: 10 September 2010 / Published online: 1 October 2010 Ó Springer-Verlag 2010 Abstract We report excavations of an abandoned pen- Keywords Gentoo Penguin Á Pygoscelis papua Á guin colony on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Ant- Abandoned colony Á Byers Peninsula Á Ancient DNA arctica, in austral summer 2008/2009. Nine abandoned pebble mounds were located on Devils Point, near an active Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) colony of about Introduction 3,000 nests, at an elevation of 40–45 m above sea level. Three of the nine mounds were excavated to recover Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island (628380S, 618050N), is organic remains for radiocarbon and ancient DNA analy- an extensive ice-free area of approximately 60 km2 ses; two additional mounds were probed to obtain tissue located on the west end of the island (Fig. 1). It is one samples for additional dating. All radiocarbon dates were of the largest ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula corrected for the marine-carbon reservoir effect using a DR and is well known for its numerous polar lakes (Bjo¨rck of 700 ± 50 years. Calibrated 2-sigma ranges in calendar et al. 1991, 1996; Quesada et al. 2009), complex geology years before present (B.P.) on 23 samples of egg membrane and paleontology, and historic archaeological sites dating and bone provided an overall range of 40–1,150 B.P., with to the whaling and sealing era (Pearson et al. 2010). It most of the dates falling between 225 and 465 B.P. Ancient was first recognized for its diverse fauna and flora and DNA analysis confirmed that the tissues recovered from then later for its paleontological and geological resour- these excavations represent Gentoo Penguin. One radio- ces, producing fossils that provide evidence for a link carbon date from the active Gentoo Penguin colony indi- between Antarctica and other continents in the southern cated an age of 285–480 B.P. for the initiation of this hemisphere. Research began in this region in the 1950s current occupation and corresponding in age with most of and has continued since that time, most recently by the the abandoned mounds. Although geologic evidence indi- Spanish Polar Program. For these reasons, Byers Penin- cates that Byers Peninsula has been ice free for at least sula was originally designated as Specially Protected 3,000 years, these results indicate that penguin occupation Area (SPA) No. 10 in 1966, with additions and modifi- lagged behind deglaciation by over 2,000 years. Small cations to this designation in 1975 (when it became a numbers of Chinstrap Penguins (P. antarctica) also occupy Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI 6) and 1991. It the same breeding colonies as Gentoo Penguins at Byers currently is recognized as Antarctic SPA 126 (SCAR Peninsula, but their absence in the ancient sediments sug- 2003). gests that they have only recently colonized this area. Geologic evidence indicates that Byers Peninsula has been ice free since at least 3,000 years before present (B.P.). Cores from ten lakes were used to develop a deglaciation chronology of the peninsula by Bjo¨rck et al. S. D. Emslie (&) Á K. Baumann Á M. van Tuinen (1991, 1996). Bottom sediments indicated that some of Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North these lakes were ice free by 5000 B.P., while others were Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA not ice free until 3500–4000 B.P. Thus, these authors e-mail: [email protected] conclude that Byers Peninsula was largely ice free by 3000 123 284 Polar Biol (2011) 34:283–290 Fig. 1 a Location of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island (in open square), and within the Antarctic Peninsula (inset, lower left). b Detailed view of Byers Peninsula showing the location of the active and abandoned Gentoo Penguin colonies at Devils Point. An additional active colony is located at Lair Point on the north side of the peninsula B.P. though deglaciation is known to have occurred much on non-marine aquatic ecosystems. In austral summer earlier, by at least 6000 B.P., in other parts of the peninsula 2008/2009, the Spanish program was expanded to include (Ingo´lfsson et al. 2003). The later deglaciation at Byers multinational teams of scientists to conduct research at agrees with other data in the Antarctic Peninsula that their camp as part of the International Polar Year. To this indicate a warming trend between 3000 and 4000 B.P. end, the senior author visited the Spanish camp from 9 to (Ingo´lfsson et al. 1998, 2003). 19 January 2009 to conduct surveys for abandoned penguin The Spanish Polar Program has been operating a base colonies and investigate the occupation history of pygos- camp at Byers Peninsula since 2000 with a research focus celid penguins at Byers Peninsula. 123 Polar Biol (2011) 34:283–290 285 Materials and methods sediments were screened through 0.64- and 0.32-cm2-mesh screens to recover all organic remains. Sediments in the top Survey and excavations screen were sorted in the field to recover any organic material (bone, feather, eggshell). All sediments in the In January 2009, the senior author surveyed on foot lower screen were saved for additional screen washing in numerous beaches and terraces on the south side of the the laboratory. A subsample (1–2 l) of the finer sediments peninsula, from Cerro Negro to Devils Point, the west side that passed through these two screens also was saved for from Devils Point to Punta Campamento, and the north side screen washing in the laboratory. At the end of excava- of the peninsula from Lair Point to approximately 3 km to tions, all sites were backfilled with rocks and any the east (Fig. 1b). Only two areas were found with active remaining sediments and the surface vegetation replaced. penguin colonies. The largest is a Gentoo Penguin colony In addition to these excavations, small test holes or on the north side of Devils Point comprised of approxi- probes were excavated in two other mounds to extract mately 3,000 nests divided two subcolonies with one on the additional organic remains for radiocarbon dating. Probe 1 beach and the other on a marine terrace above the beach at was placed in the first mound east of mound 2 with organic an elevation of 40–45 m above present sea level. A small remains (eggshell membrane) recovered from two levels at number of Chinstrap Penguin nests (*50) were noted in 0–10 and 10–20 cm in depth. Probe 2 was placed in the the middle of the lower beach colony of Gentoo Penguins largest mound in the colony, the sixth from the east end. (Andres Barbosa, personal communication). A second Eggshell membrane, feather, and bone fragments were active penguin colony of approximately 1,200 Gentoo and recovered in this probe at depths of 16, 20, and 40–50 cm. 20 Chinstrap Penguin nests was located at Lair Point on the A small section of an eroded exposure on the side of one of north side of the peninsula. the active mounds in the upper subcolony, near the aban- Extensive surveys of beaches and terraces produced doned mounds, was fully exposed with a shovel and only one area where an abandoned penguin colony was sampled. located. This colony is comprised of a series of nine pebble mounds positioned along the north edge of the marine Radiocarbon and ancient DNA analyses terrace and west of the upper Gentoo Penguin subcolony at Devils Point. These mounds vary in size from 3 to 5 m in All material for radiocarbon dating was submitted to the diameter and are covered with grass, lichens, and moss University of California, Irvine, Keck Radiocarbon AMS indicating abandonment in the past (Fig. 2). Three of these Facility (UCIAMS) for accelerator mass spectrometry mounds were sampled by placing a 1 9 1or19 0.5 m pit (AMS) dating. Each sample was assigned a UCIAMS at the top of the mound and excavating in 5-cm levels to number. Resulting dates (in radiocarbon years B.P.) were the bottom of the ornithogenic sediments as recognized by corrected for the marine-carbon reservoir effect using a distinct change in soil color and texture. Surface vege- CALIB 5.0.1 with a DR = 700 ± 50 years (see Emslie tation was carefully removed and saved for replacement at 2001) and the MARINE04 database (Hughen et al. 2004, the end of the excavation when the pits were backfilled. All Stuiver et al. 2005). Calibrated 2r range(s) that yield a 95% confidence interval for each date are given in calendar years B.P. All penguin dates discussed in the text refer to these calibrated ages. Strict ancient DNA procedures were followed to prevent contamination. All DNA extractions took place in a sterile ancient DNA laboratory lacking any previous contact with avian material. Entrance and exit to this laboratory was controlled and minimized, counters were cleaned with bleach and equipment treated with UV light, and controls were run alongside each extraction step. Pre-PCR proce- dures were performed in a designated hood to prevent contamination, while PCR was executed on a different floor and post-PCR procedures were performed in a sepa- Fig. 2 View, looking east, of abandoned mounds with mound 2 in rate building. Prior to DNA extraction, eggshell membrane foreground, before excavation.
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