QUESTION:
What part does the penguin play on Humble Island to benefit the 
environment? The petrols are scavengers and cleanup the environment...
how do the penguins benefit the chain of life?

      From Jennifer H.
      Tooker Avenue School
      West Babylon, NY


ANSWER from Donna Patterson, Research Assistant, Dr. Fraser's Team
            Palmer Station, Antarctica
            Fri, 21 Feb 1997 16:10:33 -0500

Hello Jennifer, 

The penguins on Humble Island benefit the environment by helping us 
understand this ecosystem better.   We study this population to get a 
better idea of survival, chick production, and where the adults 
forage for krill during the breeding season.   By using many years of 
data, we can then compare seasons and start to see long-term trends 
or changes in their populations.  With this information, we have been 
able to understand how small changes in the environment (like 
temperature, sea ice, or snowfall) are affecting the krill that feed 
the penguins, pengunin nesting habitat, and how these changes are 
visible throughout the entire food chain.   

The penguins also benefit the chain of life by providing nutrients at 
many levels.  When their eggs or chicks are lost to predators such as 
skuas, the skuas are better able to provide food for their own chicks. 
When penguins are injured or when they die, Giant petrels can benefit 
by feeding on them.  Finally, with such large concentrations of 
penguins in colonies, their guano can add large amounts of nutrients 
to the Southern Ocean.   

Thanks for your question!
Donna