AUSTRALIA – With more than half of the world’s penguin species under threat from extinction, a new
Deakin University research project is seeking to investigate the role of microbes in penguin health, physiology and disease.
Researcher from Deakin University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Dr Meagan Dewar, hopes to build knowledge about the basic biology of penguins.
More importantly, she also hopes to gain detailed data about the importance of microbes to penguins' digestion, metabolism, immune system and overall health.
“Many scientists consider penguins to be a sentinel for ocean health, providing valuable information about the health and productivity of our marine ecosystems,” Dr Dewar said.
“If penguins are sentinels for ocean health, then microbes could be considered as sentinels for penguin health.”