Scientists have used ancient DNA to help reconstruct 6,000 years of penguin history at the South Pole.
Advertisement
The researchers found that Adélie penguins had taken over the habitat of southern elephant seals around 1,400 years ago when the climate cooled and sea ice expanded in Cape Hallett, a protected area in eastern Antarctica.
The scientists from Australia, China, New Zealand and the United States said the findings showed that the Antarctic ecosystem was highly sensitive to climate change, and understanding its history could help predict the impact of future shifts in temperature and develop conservation policies.
Adélie penguins are only found in the Antarctic and are the smallest species of penguin there.
The team collected and sequenced 156 sediment samples from active and abandoned Adélie penguin colonies in Ross Island and East Victoria Land coastlines in Antarctica.
Advertisement
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on Wednesday, found that Adélie penguins were the most common vertebrates in the area, followed by the gull-like south polar skua.