Supported Projects

Photo: Greg Mercer

MICF Grants - 2025

Penguin foraging behaviour in the Macquarie Island Marine Park 

University of Tasmania & Australian Antarctic Division - Project Lead Ms Jaslyn Allnut

Climate change is causing rapid oceanographic changes, leading many marine species to adapt their behaviour to find sufficient resources to raise young and survive. The objective of this project is to investigate the at-sea distribution and behaviour of the four penguin species breeding on Macquarie Island. We will collect at-sea distribution data through the deployment of GPS trackers with depth sensors and collect data on diet and breeding success. We will assess the environmental drivers of behaviour at-sea, and the influence this might have on processes impacting population trends, such as breeding success.  

The specific research outcomes of the project are:  

Identification of the key foraging areas for each of Macquarie Island’s penguin species. 
An understanding of the habitat features, and environmental conditions used for foraging. 
New insights into the factors influencing breeding success. 
An understanding of the impact changing ocean conditions are having on Macquarie Island’s penguin species.

Illuminating sub-Antarctic benthic biodiversity: using ROVs to explore remote marine ecosystems

University of Western Australia - Project Lead Dr Paige Maroni

This pioneering project will conduct Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives down to depths of 100 m, to document unknown marine species, assess the health of the Macquarie Island’s benthic systems, and raise awareness regarding the importance of understanding our precious sub-Antarctic Islands. This project will also span across consecutive expeditions and visit multiple sub-Antarctic islands, allowing us to assess the connectivity of Macquarie Island’s benthic systems within the broader region allowing us to better understand its ecological significance. These comparisons will help determine Macquarie’s role as a population source for diverse species and as a potential migration route for climate vagrants, providing essential insights for regional conservation strategies.

We will generate baseline biodiversity data and produce detailed photogrammetric reconstructions of habitats and species. These engaging dives will also be used to promote awareness of the region’s unique ecosystems. The data collected will empower policymakers and conservationists to make informed, evidence-based decisions for the protection of Macquarie Island.  

Image - Supplied Paige Maroni

Grant supporters

The 2025 MICF Grants were made possible thanks to our major supporters, including the PONANT Foundation and Aurora Expeditions

MICF Grants - 2024

Full project outcomes will be reported in mid-2025.

Hidden Interactions of Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems: Using Stable Isotopes to Examine the Terrestrial Food Web and Nutrient Flows of Macquarie Island

Kita Williams, Dr Justine Shaw (Queensland University of Technology and Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future) & Prof Jennifer Fern (Queensland University of Technology)

This project examined the Macquarie Island ecosystem, and how it is recovering following the successful vertebrate pest eradication program 10 years ago.

First, will be an examination of nutrient flows through the ecosystem, using stable isotope analysis of soil, plant, and invertebrate samples collected in 2023. This work builds on earlier studies of terrestrial ecosystems and nutrient flows on Macquarie Island. A comparison will be made between our samples to legacy data to identify changes.

Second, we will focus on invertebrates, using stable isotopes to construct the food web; for example, we expect that predators such as spiders and wasps, will have the highest isotope signatures, followed by omnivores, herbivores, and finally detritivores such as springtails, snails and earthworms. This will fill a gap in our knowledge of invertebrate interactions and ecosystem functioning.

Third, we will examine the impact of non-native invertebrates such as isopods, aphids and blowflies, in the changing structure of the Macquarie Island terrestrial food web.

The findings of this project will support ecosystem monitoring, management, and biosecurity measures, which are fundamental to the conservation of the island.

Photos: Kita Williams

Rockhopper diet and trophic position, a 67-year comparison

Assoc. Prof Patti Virtue (University of Tasmania) &
John van den Hoff (Australian Antarctic Division)

The populations of rockhopper penguins, including those on Macquarie Island have been declining globally. Changes in ocean surface temperature, influenced by climate change, have led to reduced prey abundance, affecting the penguins' food supply and resulting in poor reproductive success or higher mortality rates of juveniles or adults. The rockhopper penguin is facing significant challenges to its survival in the wild. 

This project will use stable isotope analysis to compare historical rockhopper penguins’ eggshells collected in 1953 with those collected in present day populations in 2020. Stable isotope analyses provides a powerful tool to understand penguin diets and foraging ecology. Data derived from this analysis will provide insights into their feeding habits, migration strategies, and the sources of their prey.

This work will help us to better understand the factors affecting the decline of rockhopper penguins on Macquarie Island. 

Diversity of the Macquarie Island intertidal macrofauna

Dr Quentin Jossart (Université de Bourgogne – France), Dr Jonathon Stark &
Dr Glen Johnstone (Australian Antarctic Division)

The intertidal zone (seashore) is a critical environment at the dynamic interface between marine and terrestrial habitats. Unlike elsewhere in the world, the intertidal zone remains biologically underexplored in both Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas.

At Macquarie Island, the first intertidal inventories were undertaken during legacy expeditions (such as the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in the 1910’s and the British Australian & New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition in 1931). While there have been some more recent studies in the 1960’s, 1970’s and early 2000’s, the inventory of the island’s intertidal zone remains very limited compared to terrestrial or deeper marine investigations.

This project will evaluate the diversity of Macquarie Island intertidal communities and determine the faunal relationship with other areas of the Southern Ocean using an integrative community-based approach (morphological and genetic data).

This is of crucial importance to determine the origin and evolution of these communities, and more practically, to assess their current vulnerability to the multiple effects of global changes.

Grant supporters

The 2024 MICF Grants were made possible thanks to our major supporters, including the PONANT Foundation, and generous donors.