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Volume 47, No. 2

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Physiological toolkit to assess the health impacts on a Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus colony located in a high-use touristic region of Patagonia, Argentina


Authors

VERÓNICA L. D'AMICO1* & MARCELO BERTELLOTTI1,2
1 1Laboratory of Applied Ecophysiology, Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos-Centro Nacional Patagónico (CESIMAR-CCT CONICET CENPAT), Bvrd. Brown 2915 (9120), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina *(damico@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar)
2 Faculty of Production, Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Chubut, Alem 1573 (9120) Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

Citation

D'AMICO, V.L. & BERTELLOTTI, M. 2019. Physiological toolkit to assess the health impacts on a Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus colony located in a high-use touristic region of Patagonia, Argentina. Marine Ornithology 47: 247 - 251

Received 18 December 2018, accepted 08 July 2019

Date Published: 2019/10/15
Date Online: 2019/08/26
Key words: bacteria test, biochemistry, hematology, Patagonia, penguins, tourism

Abstract

We evaluated the health status of Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus inhabiting a region on the Valdés Peninsula (Patagonia, Argentina) that is subject to extensive tourism. We compared individuals nesting along tour trails with others inhabiting non-touristic zones. Hematocrits, blood cell counts, glucose, cholesterol, total proteins, and heterophil/lymphocyte were considered as stress indices. Most parameters were not affected by tourism. Adults and chicks tested positive for bacterial pathogens in both the touristic and control areas. These data complemented a long-term database of systematic physiological monitoring on penguins and will be useful tools for future comparative analyses.

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