Applying science to pressing conservation needs for penguins.

More than half of the world's 18 penguin species are declining. We, the Steering Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Penguin Specialist Group, determined that the penguin species in most critical need of conservation action are African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), and Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes). Due to small or rapidly declining populations, these species require immediate scientific collaboration and policy intervention. We also used a pairwise-ranking approach to prioritize research and conservation needs for all penguins. Among the 12 cross-taxa research areas we identified, we ranked quantifying population trends, estimating demographic rates, forecasting environmental patterns of change, and improving the knowledge of fisheries interactions as the highest priorities. The highest ranked conservation needs were to enhance marine spatial planning, improve stakeholder engagement, and develop disaster-management and species-specific action plans. We concurred that, to improve the translation of science into effective conservation for penguins, the scientific community and funding bodies must recognize the importance of and support long-term research; research on and conservation of penguins must expand its focus to include the nonbreeding season and juvenile stage; marine reserves must be designed at ecologically appropriate spatial and temporal scales; and communication between scientists and decision makers must be improved with the help of individual scientists and interdisciplinary working groups.

Aplicación de Ciencia en las Necesidades de Conservación Urgentes para los Pingüinos. Resumen Más de la mitad de las 18 especies de pingüinos del mundo están disminuyendo. Nosotros, el Comité Directivo de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Grupo de Especialistas en Pingüinos, determinamos que las especies de pingüinos con necesidades críticas de conservación son el pingüino africano (Spheniscus demersus), el pingüino de las Galápagos (Spheniscus mendiculus) y el pingüino de ojos amarillos (Megadyptes antipodes). Debido a que sus poblaciones son pequeñas o están declinando rápidamente, estos pingüinos requieren colaboración científica e intervención política inmediatas. También utilizamos un método de clasificación por pares para priorizar las necesidades de investigación y conservación para todas las especies de pingüinos. Entre las 12 áreas de investigación que identificamos, las más prioritarias fueron: cuantificación de las tendencias poblacionales, estimación de las tasas demográficas, predicción de las patrones de cambio ambiental y mejora del conocimiento de las interacciones con pesquerías. Las mayores necesidades de conservación fueron: optimizar la planificación marina espacial, mejorar la colaboración de las partes interesadas y desarrollar planes de manejo de desastres y de acción para cada especie. Coincidimos en que, para mejorar la traducción de la ciencia en la conservación efectiva de los pingüinos, la comunidad científica y los organismos financiadores deben reconocer la importancia de la investigación a largo plazo y apoyarla; la investigación sobre pingüinos y su conservación debe expandir su enfoque para incluir la época no reproductiva y la etapa juvenil; las reservas marinas deben ser diseñadas a escalas espaciotemporales ecológicamente apropiadas; y la comunicación entre científicos y tomadores de decisiones debe mejorar con la ayuda de científicos individuales y grupos de trabajo interdisciplinario.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).

Twelve microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in the endangered yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) using enriched genomic libraries. Polymorphic loci revealed two to eight alleles per locus and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.21 to 0.77. These loci will be suitable for assessing current and historical patterns of genetic variability in yellow-eyed penguins.

Annual cycle of sex steroids in the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) on south island, New Zealand.

The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is a rare penguin restricted to the South Island and some offshore islands of New Zealand. It is the least colonial of the penguins but shares with many other penguins a distinct breeding season with a short, synchronised period of egg-laying. Blood samples were collected throughout the year from yellow-eyed penguins on the Otago Peninsula, South Island in order to characterise relationships between steroid hormone levels and events of the breeding cycle. Testosterone levels in male penguins were high during the pre-egg phase, dropped dramatically to low levels during incubation, and remained low during the guard and postguard phases of the breeding cycle. Testosterone levels in females showed a similar pattern. Male testosterone levels were significantly higher than female levels during the pre-egg phase. The patterns of changes in estradiol levels were similar to those for testosterone. Estradiol levels were significantly higher in females than males during the pre-egg phase. There was a clear annual cycle of testosterone levels in yellow-eyed penguins, with levels low from January (midsummer) until July. They then rose markedly in August (the time of increased activity around nest sites) and reached a peak in September, followed by a steep decline to low levels again in October. There was also an annual cycle of estradiol levels with a peak that coincided with the testosterone peak. Progesterone levels varied during the year, being elevated in late summer and autumn (February-May) and lower during the remainder of the year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)