Summer-soaked Queensland isn't the first place that comes to mind when considering penguin research, but a Griffith University scientist has bucked that trend as part of a groundbreaking genome study.
Professor David Lambert, Griffith Science's dean of research, joined an international team of scientists to track millions of years of penguin evolution.
In a study published on Friday in the open access journal GigaScience, the scientists analysed and sequenced the genomes of both adelie and emperor penguins.
In doing so, they tracked fluctuations in population over the past 10 million years to examine links between biological patterns and global climate change.
"Although adelie and emperor penguins both breed on the Antarctic continent, they do so in very different ways," Professor Lambert said.
"By sequencing the genomes of two penguin species which are quite closely related, we have been able to compare many of the genes that are responsible for these different abilities to do the same thing, namely to survive and breed in Antarctica.
"We are able to reveal the genetic basis of the birds' adaptations and their evolutionary history in response to climate change."
The study has shown the adelie penguin population increased dramatically about 150,000 years ago when the climate warmed, but declined by about 40 per cent 60,000 years ago during a cold, dry glacial period.
At the same time, emperor penguin numbers remained relatively stable.
The researchers concluded the emperor penguins' ability to protect their eggs from freezing temperatures by incubating them on their feet was an example of how they were better adapted to the harsh Antarctic conditions.
"This suggests that climate change may have differing impacts on both species, thus informing the approach of conservation efforts to come," Professor Lambert said.
"These findings and other aspects of the research now provide us with the opportunity to conduct large scale evolutionary studies of both penguin species."
