科学美国人60秒：企鹅可能是气候变化的赢家

科学美国人60秒:企鹅可能是气候变化的赢家

The list of species potentially imperiled by climate change is long, from polar bears to certain types of pine trees.

But there are also those species that will benefit from the changed climate conditions. And a new study that uses data collection stretching back more than 50 years finds that the Adelie penguins of Beaufort Island near Antarctica may be one of the fortunate climate cases.

Aerial photographs and satellite images reveal that this colony nearly doubled in size between 1958 and 2010, swelling from 35,000 breeding pairs to 64,000 families.

The reason is an increase in the kind of nesting habitat Adelie penguins love: rocky beaches revealed by the melting back of snow and ice. Such a melt back is considered likely for many other locations in the Antarctic suggesting the penguins may find even more homeland soon.

The expansion may also be because other critters, like the krill and silverfish the penguins eat have been increasing, although census data is lacking. And more Adelies might prove good news for leopard seals, who dine on them. Of course, that's only if the seals can stand the warmer waters.

受气候变化危及的潜在物种名单有一长串——从北极熊到某些种类的松树。

但仍有一些物种会从变化的气候条件中受益。一项新的研究利用可以追溯到50多年前的数据收集，结果发现南极洲附近的波弗特岛上的企鹅可能是气候变化环境下的幸运儿之一。据航空摄影和卫星图象显示，企鹅数量在1958年至2010年期间几乎增长了一倍，从3.5万对发展至6.4万个家庭。

原因就是阿德利企鹅钟爱的那种筑巢栖息地——冰雪溶化后显露出来的岩石海滩在扩张。据悉在南极洲其他许多地区也有可能遭遇这样的溶退，这意味着企鹅可能很快找到更多适合栖息的家园。

尽管缺乏调查数据，但企鹅的扩张也有可能是因为其他生物，例如企鹅爱吃的磷虾和银鱼的数量在增加。对于海豹来说，阿德利企鹅群的壮大可能是好消息，因为他们猎食企鹅，不过前提是海豹能忍受日益升温的海水。