阿德雷企鹅是气候生态环境变化良好的生物指示计,其登陆历史和种群数量变化是了解南极冰川进退和生态环境演变的重要指标。此前对阿德雷企鹅的古生态研究主要集中在南极半岛和罗斯海地区.对东南极的研究则非常有限。基于此,对东南极西福尔丘陵阿德雷企鹅聚居地进行了考察采样,并在后期开展了深入的生态地质学研究。通过对粪土剖面的AMSHC定年和元素地球化学分析恢复了全新世以来东南极西福尔丘陵阿德雷企鹅的登陆历史及其种群数量动态变化,发现历史时期企鹅的种群生态变化与该地区冰川进退和气候环境之间存在紧密的联系:冰盖的后退和无冰区的出露往往伴随着企鹅的登陆,适宜的气候有利于企鹅种群的增长,而冰期气候则不利于企鹅种群的发展。
Adelie penguins are good bio-indicators of Antarctic climate and environment, their occupation history and population dynamics are important on inferring the information of past glacial retreat and climate changes. Todate, the paleoecological studies of penguin are focus on the area of Antarctic Peninsula and Ross Sea, studies on East Antarctica, however, are scarce. During CHINARE-22, we investigated the Adelie penguin colonies in Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, collected several penguin ornithogenic sediment cores. In this paper we introduced the eco-geochemical studies on these penguin ornithogenic sediment cores, including the inference of the occupation history and population dynamics of Adelie penguins on Vestfold Hills. The inferreded occupation history of Adelie penguins are well correlated with the deglaciation and formation of ice-free areas, and the penguin populations increased during the climate optimum and declined in ice glacial period.