We would like to announce the publication of the following article: *The effects of prey demography on humpback whale (/Megaptera novaeangliae/) abundance around Anvers Island, Antarctica*
Ari S. Friedlaender, William R. Fraser, Donna Patterson, Song S. Qian and Patrick N. Halpin^ *Abstract* Baleen whales and Adelie penguins in the near-shore waters around the Antarctic Peninsula forage principally on Antarctic krill. Given the spatial overlap in the distribution of these krill predators (particularly humpback whales) and their dependence on krill, the goals of this paper are to determine if the inter-annual community structure and relative abundance of baleen whales around Anvers Island is related to krill demography and abundance, and if the potential exists for inter-specific interactions between Adelie penguins and baleen. We use whale sightings and prey data from both net tows and Adelie penguin stomach samples to correlate the abundance of humpback whales with krill demography and abundance from 1993 to 2001. We find significant relationships between whale abundance and the size–frequency distribution of krill targeted by Adelie penguins, as well as the foraging success of Adelie penguins. These findings suggest both krill predators share common prey preferences in the upper portions of the water column around Anvers Island. These findings highlight the need for better knowledge of baleen whale foraging ecology and inter-specific interactions with penguins, as sea ice and krill populations around the Antarctic Peninsula are affected by rapid changes in climate. Polar Biology DOI: 10.1007/s0300-008-0460-x If you do not have access to this journal and would like a pdf of the article please contact: Ari Friedlaender [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Ari S Friedlaender, PhD Assistant Research Scientist Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab Duke University Marine Laboratory 135 Pivers Island Road Beaufort, NC 28516 USA P 919 672 0103 F 252 504 7648 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
