In the krill-based ecosystem of the Antarctic, fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of Euphausia superba may have strong impacts on predator populations; thus, it is crucial to observe the feeding ecology of Antarctic predators, especially in the light of climate change and increasing human pressure. We determined the composition of euphausiid species in diet samples collected from Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguins on King George Island (South Shetlands Islands) during a breeding season. For all three penguin species, euphausiids (mainly E. superba) represented almost the entirety of researched stomach samples (i.e. 99.9% in the case of Adélie and chinstrap penguins), while gentoo penguins also proved to feed on fish (99.4% krill; 0.5% fish). Analysed material differed in the size of eaten E. superba specimens, with the smallest crustaceans consumed by Adélie penguins. Furthermore, we found differences in the ratio of consumed krill and krill size. Such disparities may be a result of sex-based differences and slight differences in feeding areas between the birds. Additionally, we noted some fragments of plastic debris in the investigated penguin diet samples.

中文翻译：

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Pygoscelis 企鹅在南设得兰群岛乔治王岛的饮食，特别关注磷虾 Euphausia superba

在以磷虾为基础的南极生态系统中，磷虾分布和丰度的波动大戟可能对捕食者种群产生强烈影响；因此，观察南极食肉动物的摄食生态至关重要，特别是在气候变化和人类压力增加的情况下。我们确定了从阿德利 (Adélie) 收集的饮食样本中的磷虾属物种的组成（螳螂), 下巴带 (南极鱼尾藻) 和 gentoo (巴布亚果蝇) 企鹅在乔治王岛（南设得兰群岛）的繁殖季节。对于所有三种企鹅物种，磷虾（主要是E. superba) 代表了几乎所有研究过的胃样本（即阿德利企鹅和帽带企鹅的 99.9%），而巴布亚企鹅也被证明以鱼为食（99.4% 磷虾；0.5% 鱼）。分析的材料在食用的大小上有所不同E. superba标本，阿德利企鹅消耗的最小的甲壳类动物。此外，我们发现消耗的磷虾和磷虾大小的比率存在差异。这种差异可能是基于性别的差异和鸟类之间摄食区域的微小差异的结果。此外，我们在调查的企鹅饮食样本中发现了一些塑料碎片。