Warming temperatures in Antarctica are forcing penguins to breed earlier, creating serious risks for some species, according to a new study. Researchers found that rising temperatures are disrupting the timing of penguin reproduction, increasing competition for food and threatening long-term survival.
The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, showed that temperatures at Antarctic penguin breeding sites rose by about 3 degrees Celsius between 2012 and 2022. As a result, three penguin species have begun their reproductive cycle roughly two weeks earlier than they did a decade ago. Scientists said this represents the fastest shift in life-cycle timing ever recorded among vertebrate animals.
Researchers focused on Adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins. Adelie and chinstrap penguins are specialists that rely mainly on krill for food, while gentoo penguins have a more flexible diet and are more aggressive when competing for resources. Gentoo penguins have adjusted their breeding schedules more quickly than the other two species, leading to overlap in breeding periods and increased competition for food and nesting sites.
Scientists said gentoo penguins are increasingly displacing Adelies in some colonies. Chinstrap penguins are already declining worldwide, and climate models suggest they could become extinct by the end of the century if current trends continue. Adelie penguins are also struggling, particularly in the Antarctic Peninsula, where they may disappear before the century ends.
The warming climate has reduced sea ice, triggering earlier blooms of phytoplankton that disrupt krill cycles and food availability. These pressures are compounded by commercial fishing activity that now begins earlier in the season, further limiting food supplies for penguins.
The research is based on millions of images collected by 77 remote cameras monitoring dozens of penguin colonies between 2011 and 2021. Volunteers helped analyze the images through the Penguin Watch platform, demonstrating how public participation can support large-scale climate research.
