Climate change and penguin diversification

Analysis of population genomic datasets for 11 penguin species indicates that species that currently breed in areas within the limits of Antarctic sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 18,000-25,000 years ago, underwent near-simultaneous population expansions at the end of the LGM, unlike species inhabiting consistently ice-free habitats, suggesting that past climate change drove large-scale demographic shifts in the Southern Ocean and might do so again as global warming continues, according to a study.

Article #19-04048: “Receding ice drove parallel expansions in Southern Ocean penguins,” by Theresa L. Cole et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Theresa L. Cole, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND; tel: +64-2102588235; e-mail:

[email protected]

; Jonathan M. Waters, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND; tel: +64-272443018; e-mail:

[email protected]

###