Understanding Penguins

Penguins are among the most charismatic species inhabiting oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Relatively easy to study on land, their behaviour at sea has until quite recently remained poorly understood. In this talk, Pierre gives an overview of penguins as a group, demonstrating the vastly different strategies they use to survive in a wide range of habitats.

He focuses on the technological developments in the field of biologging (the use of miniaturized animal-attached tags) that have enabled us to appreciate their role in marine ecosystems as well as the survival threats they face. Technological improvements in tracking devices, dive recorders, video cameras and accelerometers are being harnessed to obtain detailed information on the at-sea lives of penguins. This has allowed important aspects of penguin biology to be studied in specific ecological contexts.

Although drawing from a range of species, Pierre will conclude on African penguins and highlight the potential for biologging science in combination with land-based automated monitoring systems for improved management of the species in relation to fisheries activities.

Each session consists of 20-minute presentations, followed by a joint Q&A session of 15 minutes.

ABOUT DR PIERRE PISTORIUS

As a researcher in marine biology, Pierre integrates the fields of population and behavioural ecology with climate change science and resource management. His focus is largely on marine top predators such as seabirds, seals and dolphins, and ecosystem processes affecting these animals. Much of his research revolves around the use of penguins and other predators as ecological indicators, harnessing rapid technological advances in the field of biologging science – the deployment of miniaturised tracking devices and video cameras on study animals – to gain insight on behaviour and ecological interactions at sea.

His goal is to feed results of this research back into conservation management. Since 1996, when he spent a year overwintering at Marion Island (South Africa’s sub-Antarctic base), he has been actively involved in studying marine mammals and seabirds. Following a PhD on the population ecology of Southern elephant seals, completed in 2001, he worked in Norway, the Seychelles (where he was based on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Aldabra Atoll for two years), and the Falkland Islands. In 2009 he joined Nelson Mandela University, where he is a Professor of Zoology, and founded and currently heads the Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU; https://mapru.mandela.ac.za/). Pierre has authored over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers on marine predators, many involving global multi-disciplinary initiatives, and has gained significant insights into their ecology in the face of global change and their potential role in gauging ecosystem changes.