The East China Sea (ECS) dispute between Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of China began in the early 1970s and has continued to escalate. Although the Japanese government claims to handle conflicts in the disputed area as domestic matters, scholarship has focused on the dispute as an international relations or legal issue between states. This project explores the dispute as an issue in domestic Japanese politics by examining the narratives and power dynamics of the major political parties, nationalist and ultraconservative groups, and Okinawan activists vis-à-vis the national government and international actors.

China and Japan have claimed sovereignty of tiny, inhabitant islands in the East China Sea for a long time. This paper attempts to analyze this territorial dispute from the conflict transformation perspective to seek a peaceful end. I believe that Nationalism plays a key role and interferes to resolve the dispute by international conflict resolution methods. To prove the influence of the nationalism on the dispute, I conducted a survey to measure individual’s nationalistic attributions and inquire attitudes toward the islands dispute of Chinese and Japanese. The survey result shows that a majority of the both Chinese and Japanese participants having a strong individual nationalistic attribution support their nation’s sovereignty over the islands. Moreover, a majority of the Chinese and Japanese having a weak individual nationalistic attribution do not support their nations’ sovereignty rather take different positions regarding to the islands dispute.

China and Japan have claimed sovereignty of tiny, inhabitant islands in the East China Sea for a long time. This paper attempts to analyze this territorial dispute from the conflict transformation perspective to seek a peaceful end. I believe that Nationalism plays a key role and interferes to resolve the dispute by international conflict resolution methods. To prove the influence of the nationalism on the dispute, I conducted a survey to measure individual’s nationalistic attributions and inquire attitudes toward the islands dispute of Chinese and Japanese. The survey result shows that a majority of the both Chinese and Japanese participants having a strong individual nationalistic attribution support their nation’s sovereignty over the islands. Moreover, a majority of the Chinese and Japanese having a weak individual nationalistic attribution do not support their nations’ sovereignty rather take different positions regarding to the islands dispute.

abstract: In September 1945, after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States possessed only one nuclear weapon. Thirteen years later, in September 1958, the nation possessed a significant stockpile of nuclear weapons, including the very powerful hydrogen bomb. The United States was able to build its stockpile of nuclear weapons because the Los Alamos Laboratory, once a secret wartime facility, was able to convert the forces of nature – fission and fusion – into weapons of war. The United States also was successful because of the sacrifice made by a tiny Pacific Ocean nation, The Marshall Islands, and the people of Bikini, Enewetak, and Rongelap Atolls. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States tested sixty-six nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands. Nuclear testing contaminated these three atolls and, in one instance, injured the people of Rongelap. As a result of this testing many of these people cannot return to their ancestral homes. This dissertation examines the many conditions that led to the creation of the Los Alamos Laboratory, its testing of nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, and the long term, perhaps, permanent, displacement of the people of Bikini, Enewetak, and Rongelap. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation History 2015

A geodiversidade, aliada à geoconservação, é um tema relativamente novo e ainda pouco explorado pela comunidade acadêmica no Brasil. Porém, nos últimos anos percebeu-se a necessidade de estratégias de preservação da geodiversidade entendida como o meio abiótico, constituído por composições rochosas e de relevo resultantes de fenômenos geológicos e geomorfológicos que diferenciam a litologia e os minerais, gerando distintas paisagens e a grande diversidade de ambientes que propiciam o desenvolvimento das diferentes formas de vida na Terra. Com o objetivo de preservar ambientes de grande relevância ecológica como os insulares, desenvolveu-se um levantamento da geodiversidade das ilhas das Pombas e da Ponta Escura, no Parque Estadual de Itapuã, no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, quantificando o seu valor intrínseco, seu uso potencial e a necessidade de proteção para geoconservação. Os procedimentos metodológicos compreenderam um estudo prévio da área a partir de imagens satelitais, saída a campo para coleta de amostras, análises laboratoriais, produção de material cartográfico e análise dos resultados. As ilhas apresentam gênese distinta, uma sedimentar (Ponta Escura) e outra rochosa (Pombas). As características granulométricas e morfométricas dos seus sedimentos também diferem uma da outra, onde a das Pombas apresenta maiores granulometrias variando nos tamanhos de areia muito grossa a grânulo, e grãos imaturos, enquanto na ilha da Ponta Escura observa-se maior arredondamento dos grãos e granulometria com alto percentual de areia média. Quanto à mineralogia, a ilha Ponta Escura se destaca pela alta quantidade de minerais pesados, principalmente turmalina. Os Neossolos predominam em ambas as ilhas, com subordens distintas, de Litólico e Flúvico na ilha das Pombas a Quartzarênico Órtico na Ponta Escura. A vegetação, cuja florística carece descrição científica, apresenta uma fitofisionomia caracterizada por estratos diversificados – entremeados por cactáceas de porte alto – desde um inferior herbáceo ao dossel, por vezes destacando-se árvores mais altas. A presença de indivíduos de algumas espécies exóticas da flora testemunha a interferência antrópica pretérita na cobertura vegetal original de ambas as ilhas, mais destacadamente a da Ponta Escura. Por fim, adotando-se a metodologia desenvolvida por Brilha (2005), procedeu-se com a quantificação para fins de geoconservação, onde demonstrou-se valor relativamente alto, proporcionalmente ao tamanho das ilhas e por elas pertencerem a uma área de proteção integral. Propõem-se uma ampliação da área de estudo, incluindo outras ilhas que integram o lago Guaíba, relacionando o conhecimento da geodiversidade e biodiversidade como estratégias para a geoconservação e gerenciamento da presença humana, pois a ação antrópica desregrada pode impactar diretamente ambientes que podem ser sensíveis e muito dinâmicos como nas ilhas deste estudo. / The geodiversity, combined with geoconservation, is a relatively new issue that is rarely explored by the academic community in Brazil. But in recent years, there was the need for preservation strategies of geodiversity understood as the abiotic environment, consisting of rock compositions and relief resulting from geological and geomorphological phenomena that differentiate lithology and minerals lead to the genesis of diverse landscapes and great diversity of environments that favour the development of different forms of life on Earth. In order to preserve the great ecological relevance environments like the island, a survey of the geodiversity of the Pombas and Ponta Escura islands, in southern Brazil, was developed to quantify their intrinsic value, their potential use and need for protection for geoconservation. The methodological procedures included a preliminary study of the area from satellite images, a field work for sample collecting, laboratory testing, production of cartographic material and analysis of the results. The islands have different genesis, one of them sedimentary (Ponta Escura) and the other rocky (Pombas). Particle size and morphometric characteristics of its sediments also differ one from another, where the Pombas features larger particle sizes ranging in very thick sand granule sizes, and immature grains, while on the island of Ponta Escura there was a greater rounding of grains and grain size with a high percentage of medium sand. The mineralogy, the Ponta Escura island stands out for its high amount of heavy minerals, especially tourmaline. Entisols predominate in both islands, with distinct suborders of Lithic (Leptosols/WRB-FAO) and Fluvents (Fluvisols/WRB-FAO) on the island of Pombas to Quartzipsamments (Arenosols/WRB-FAO) in Ponta Escura. The vegetation, whose floristic lacks scientific description, has a vegetation type characterized by diverse strata – interspersed with high size cacti – from a lower herbaceous to the canopy, sometimes highlighting tallest trees. The presence of individuals of some exotic species of flora witness to past anthropogenic interference with the original vegetation in both islands, most notably in Ponta Escura. Finally, adopting the methodology developed by Brilha (2005), we proceeded with the quantification to geoconservation purposes, which showed relatively high value in proportion to the islands size and to their belonging to an integral protection area. It is proposed an extension of the study area, including other islands that make up the lake Guaiba, relating the knowledge of geodiversity and biodiversity as strategies for geoconservation and management of human presence, because the unregulated human action can directly impact environments that may be sensitive and dynamic as on the islands of this study.

A geodiversidade, aliada à geoconservação, é um tema relativamente novo e ainda pouco explorado pela comunidade acadêmica no Brasil. Porém, nos últimos anos percebeu-se a necessidade de estratégias de preservação da geodiversidade entendida como o meio abiótico, constituído por composições rochosas e de relevo resultantes de fenômenos geológicos e geomorfológicos que diferenciam a litologia e os minerais, gerando distintas paisagens e a grande diversidade de ambientes que propiciam o desenvolvimento das diferentes formas de vida na Terra. Com o objetivo de preservar ambientes de grande relevância ecológica como os insulares, desenvolveu-se um levantamento da geodiversidade das ilhas das Pombas e da Ponta Escura, no Parque Estadual de Itapuã, no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, quantificando o seu valor intrínseco, seu uso potencial e a necessidade de proteção para geoconservação. Os procedimentos metodológicos compreenderam um estudo prévio da área a partir de imagens satelitais, saída a campo para coleta de amostras, análises laboratoriais, produção de material cartográfico e análise dos resultados. As ilhas apresentam gênese distinta, uma sedimentar (Ponta Escura) e outra rochosa (Pombas). As características granulométricas e morfométricas dos seus sedimentos também diferem uma da outra, onde a das Pombas apresenta maiores granulometrias variando nos tamanhos de areia muito grossa a grânulo, e grãos imaturos, enquanto na ilha da Ponta Escura observa-se maior arredondamento dos grãos e granulometria com alto percentual de areia média. Quanto à mineralogia, a ilha Ponta Escura se destaca pela alta quantidade de minerais pesados, principalmente turmalina. Os Neossolos predominam em ambas as ilhas, com subordens distintas, de Litólico e Flúvico na ilha das Pombas a Quartzarênico Órtico na Ponta Escura. A vegetação, cuja florística carece descrição científica, apresenta uma fitofisionomia caracterizada por estratos diversificados – entremeados por cactáceas de porte alto – desde um inferior herbáceo ao dossel, por vezes destacando-se árvores mais altas. A presença de indivíduos de algumas espécies exóticas da flora testemunha a interferência antrópica pretérita na cobertura vegetal original de ambas as ilhas, mais destacadamente a da Ponta Escura. Por fim, adotando-se a metodologia desenvolvida por Brilha (2005), procedeu-se com a quantificação para fins de geoconservação, onde demonstrou-se valor relativamente alto, proporcionalmente ao tamanho das ilhas e por elas pertencerem a uma área de proteção integral. Propõem-se uma ampliação da área de estudo, incluindo outras ilhas que integram o lago Guaíba, relacionando o conhecimento da geodiversidade e biodiversidade como estratégias para a geoconservação e gerenciamento da presença humana, pois a ação antrópica desregrada pode impactar diretamente ambientes que podem ser sensíveis e muito dinâmicos como nas ilhas deste estudo. / The geodiversity, combined with geoconservation, is a relatively new issue that is rarely explored by the academic community in Brazil. But in recent years, there was the need for preservation strategies of geodiversity understood as the abiotic environment, consisting of rock compositions and relief resulting from geological and geomorphological phenomena that differentiate lithology and minerals lead to the genesis of diverse landscapes and great diversity of environments that favour the development of different forms of life on Earth. In order to preserve the great ecological relevance environments like the island, a survey of the geodiversity of the Pombas and Ponta Escura islands, in southern Brazil, was developed to quantify their intrinsic value, their potential use and need for protection for geoconservation. The methodological procedures included a preliminary study of the area from satellite images, a field work for sample collecting, laboratory testing, production of cartographic material and analysis of the results. The islands have different genesis, one of them sedimentary (Ponta Escura) and the other rocky (Pombas). Particle size and morphometric characteristics of its sediments also differ one from another, where the Pombas features larger particle sizes ranging in very thick sand granule sizes, and immature grains, while on the island of Ponta Escura there was a greater rounding of grains and grain size with a high percentage of medium sand. The mineralogy, the Ponta Escura island stands out for its high amount of heavy minerals, especially tourmaline. Entisols predominate in both islands, with distinct suborders of Lithic (Leptosols/WRB-FAO) and Fluvents (Fluvisols/WRB-FAO) on the island of Pombas to Quartzipsamments (Arenosols/WRB-FAO) in Ponta Escura. The vegetation, whose floristic lacks scientific description, has a vegetation type characterized by diverse strata – interspersed with high size cacti – from a lower herbaceous to the canopy, sometimes highlighting tallest trees. The presence of individuals of some exotic species of flora witness to past anthropogenic interference with the original vegetation in both islands, most notably in Ponta Escura. Finally, adopting the methodology developed by Brilha (2005), we proceeded with the quantification to geoconservation purposes, which showed relatively high value in proportion to the islands size and to their belonging to an integral protection area. It is proposed an extension of the study area, including other islands that make up the lake Guaiba, relating the knowledge of geodiversity and biodiversity as strategies for geoconservation and management of human presence, because the unregulated human action can directly impact environments that may be sensitive and dynamic as on the islands of this study.

Orientador: Antonio Carlos Boschero / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T07:06:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arantes_VanessaCristina_D.pdf: 1696436 bytes, checksum: 2db258b560bf7ee0ec64de7441adfe76 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Em animais, a desnutrição intra-uterina exerce efeitos marcantes sobre o desenvolvimento fetal e pós-natal. Sabe-se que animais desnutridos apresentam níveis elevados de ácidos graxos plasmáticos e esses, por sua vez, são responsáveis por alterar a secreção de insulina. Neste trabalho, verificamos a expressão do fator de transcrição PDX-1, da p38/SAPK2, o metabolismo da glicose e a secreção de insulina em ilhotas de ratos mantidos durante o período fetal e da lactação com uma dieta normoprotéica (17% de proteína) ou hipoprotéica (6% de proteína). Cultivamos as ilhotas por 48 horas em meio de cultura contendo 5.6 mM/L de glicose, na ausência ou presença de0.6 mM/L de ácido palmítico. A secreção de insulina em ilhotas isoladas em resposta 16,7 mmol/L de glicose foi reduzida em ratos desnutridos, no entanto, quando na presença de ácido graxo, observou-se um aumento. Em 2.8 mmol glicose/L,houve diminuição do metabolismo da glicose em ilhotas de desnutridos .Entretanto, quando estimuladas com 16.7 mmol/L de glicose, tanto as ilhotas de desnutridos como as do controle, apresentaram acentuada redução na oxidação da glicose, na presença de ácido graxo. Os níveis de mRNA do PDX-1 e da insulina aumentaram significativamente quando na presença de ácido graxo em ambos os grupos. O efeito do ácido palmítico sobre a expressão protéica de PDX-1 e da p38/SAPK2 apresentou-se similar em ambos os grupos, mas o aumento foi muito mais evidente em ilhotas de desnutridos. Esses resultados demonstram a complexa relação entre nutrientes no controle da secreção de insulina e mostram queos ácidos graxos desempenham um papel importante na homeostasia da glicose, por afetar mecanismos moleculares e as vias de acoplamentsecreção de insulina / Abstract: A severe reduction in insulin release in response to glucose is consistently noticed in protein-deprived rats and is attributed partly to the chronic exposure to elevated levels of free fatty acids. Since the pancreatic and duodenal transcription factor homeobox 1 (PDX-1) is important for the maintenance of B-cell physiology, and since PDX-1 expression is altered in the islets of rats fed a low protein diet, we assessed PDX-1 and insulin mRNA expression, as well as PDX-1 and p38/SAPK2 protein expression, in islets from young rats fed low (6%; LP) or normal (17%; C) protein diets and maintained for 48 h in culture medium containing 5.6 mmol glucose/L with or without 0.6 mmol palmitic acid/L. We also measured glucoseinduced insulin secretion and glucose metabolism. Insulin secretion by isolated islets in response to 16.7 mmol glucose/L was reduced in LP compared to C rats. In the presence of free fatty acids, there was an increase in insulin secretion in both groups At 2.8 mmol glucose/L, the metabolism of this sugar was reduced in LP islets, regardless of the presence of this fatty acid. However, when challenged with 16.7 mmol glucose/L, LP and C islets showed a severe reduction in glucose oxidation in the presence of free fatty acid. The PDX-1 and insulin mRNA were significantly higher when free fatty acid was added to the culture medium in both groups of islets.The effect of palmitic acid on PDX-1 and p38/SAPK2 protein levels was similar in LP and C islets, but the increase was much more evident in LP islets. These results demonstrate the complex interrelationship between nutrients in the control of insulin release and support the view that fatty acids play an important role in glucose homeostasis by affecting molecular mechanisms and stimulus/secretion coupling pathways / Doutorado / Fisiologia / Doutor em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

Orientador: Jose Roberto Bosqueiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T17:39:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Quallio_Silvana_M.pdf: 957537 bytes, checksum: 0c375a9b9290585b85244a414a6ea02d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Introdução e objetivos: O aumento nos níveis de glicose circulante é o principal estímulo para a secreção de insulina. A insulina se liga a receptores de membrana desencadeando diversas respostas celulares. Qualquer alteração na sensibilidade à insulina pode levar a disfunções fisiológicas como a resistência à insulina observada em pacientes diabéticos tipo 2 (T2DM). Experimentalmente, essa condição patológica pode ser mimetizada pela administração de altas doses de glicocorticóides, provendo assim um bom modelo para seu estudo. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a plasticidade das ilhotas pancreáticas submetidas à variação na necessidade secretória de insulina por indução de resistência periférica ao hormônio por tratamento com dexametasona e posterior interrupção do tratamento. Métodos: Ratos wistar com 90 dias de vida foram tratados com dexametasona (1mg/kg, ip) por 5 dias consecutivos (DEX). Em outro grupo (DEX10), os animais foram tratados da mesma maneira e avaliados 10 dias após o último dia da administração de dexametasona. Ratos controle (CTL) receberam administração de NaCl 0,9% apenas. As ilhotas foram isoladas pelo método da colagenase. A expressão de proteínas foi feita por immunoblotting. As análises morfométricas foram realizadas microscopicamente. Resultados: O grupo DEX exibiu marcante resistência periférica à insulina, que foi revertida após o período de 10 dias no grupo DEX10. As ilhotas do grupo DEX apresentaram alterações funcionais e morfológicas como aumento da secreção de insulina estimulada por secretagogos, da área, da densidade e tendência de aumento na massa de células ß ao contrário do grupo DEX10. O conteúdo de proteínas relacionadas ao ciclo celular como a CD2 e CDK4 e a fosforilação da AKT aumentou em ilhotas do grupo DEX, mas retornou aos níveis do CTL em ilhotas DEX10. Conclusão: Estes resultados mostram a plasticidade do pâncreas endócrino haja vista a habilidade de se adaptar a situações que exigem maior ou menor demanda de insulina / Abstract: Introduction and aims: Insulin binds to plasma membrane receptors leading to a variety of cellular responses. Malfunction in any of the insulin cell signalling pathways in target tissues may lead to several conditions and diseases, like hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). These effects may be experimentally reproduced using high doses of glucocorticoids, providing thus a good model for the study of T2DM. The aims of this study were to evaluate the plasticity of pancreatic islets subject to variation on the need for insulin secretory induction of peripheral resistance to the hormone by treatment with dexamethasone and subsequent treatment interruption. Methods: Male wistar rats (90 days old) were treated with dexamethasone (1mg/kg, ip) for 5 consecutive days (DEX). In another group (DEX10), the animals were treated in the same way and assessed 10 days after the last day of administration. Control rats (CTL) received equivalent volume of vehicle. Protein expression was assayed trough immunoblotting. Morphometric analyses were done using a optical microscope and specific digital analysis programs. Results: DEX group showed marked peripheral insulin resistance, reverted after the recovering period in the DEX10 group. DEX islets showed functional and morphological changes, like increased insulin secretion, superficial area, population density, and a tendency for increase in the total mass content of beta cell. Cell cycle proteins CD2 and CDK4 and AKT phosphorylation were increased in the DEX group when compared to CTL group. All these effects were reverted in the group DEX10. Conclusions: These results show that the endocrine pancreas possess a plasticity regarding the capacity of pancreatic islets to adapt themselves to situations where a higher or lower demand for insulin is needed. / Mestrado / Fisiologia / Mestre em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

Species distributions reflect the suite of resources and range of environmental conditions required by a species. Distributions of many species change seasonally, however, in response to changes in resource availability and environmental conditions, many of which are projected to shift in response to climate change. We sought to identify environmental and anthropogenic factors associated with seasonal changes in the distribution of vertebrates that inhabit the Madrean Archipelago in southern Arizona, which is important for identifying mechanisms through which climate change may affect these species. From July 2012 to February 2015 (966 days), we used remote cameras to survey 200 sites across 16 mountain ranges for a total of 69,434 trap days and used dynamic occupancy models to determine how landscape features, vegetation composition, and anthropogenic factors influenced the distributions and seasonal rates of local colonization and extinction of 13 vertebrates. For these 13 species, we recorded 37,888 detections, with gray foxes, skunks, and squirrels detected most frequently. Bobcats, cottontails, gray foxes, skunks, squirrels, javelina, puma, and coatimundis were all detected across the entire range of elevations surveyed, from 935 to 2395 m. Black bears and wild turkeys were never detected below 1270 m, Sonoran opossums never detected above 1980 m, and coyotes and ringtails never detected above 2020 m. Composition and structure of vegetation in the understory, midstory, and overstory influenced initial occupancy of several species, including skunks, coatimundis, Sonoran opossums, and cottontails. Season, either directly or as an interaction with the estimated amount of solar radiation reaching a site, influenced local extinction rates of all 13 target species and local colonization rates of 9 of 13 species. Elevation influenced local colonization rates of black bears and coatimundis positively, and coyotes, Sonoran opossums, and cottontails negatively, and local extinction rates of skunks negatively and coyotes and black bears positively. These patterns indicate that the distributions of many species in this region change seasonally, likely as a mechanism to meet dietary, behavioral, or physiological needs in response to shifts in environmental conditions and resource availability. Therefore, species that depend on seasonal resources may be at higher risk of distributional shifts or range contractions if the distribution and phenology of these resources change in response to changes in climate.

Marine top predators often occupy broad geographical ranges that encompass varied habitats. Therefore, a pre-requisite towards conserving these animals is to determine the components of their realized niche, and investigate whether a species is a specialist or a generalist. For generalist species, it is also necessary to understand if local specialisation occurs. Uncovering these components can allow us to build models of a species realized niche that may then be used to infer habitat use in unsampled locations. However, fully understanding the components of a marine top predators realized niche is challenging owing to the limited opportunity for in situ observations. Overcoming these limitations is a key step in marine top predator research. It will enhance our understanding of trophic coupling in marine systems, and aid in the development of tools to better study these predators in their dynamic environment. Seabirds, penguins (Spheniscids) in particular, are a group of animals for which investigating their realized niche is of vital importance. This is because numerous species face growing uncertainty in the Anthropocene, and in a time of rapid environmental change there is furthermore a need to better understand the potential use of these birds as indicators of ecosystem health. The aim of this thesis, therefore, is to investigate the foraging ecology of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) at the Falkland Islands. At the Falkland Islands, limited historical information exists regarding this species foraging ecology, with most information coming from a single location at the Falklands. As the Falkland Islands have the world’s largest population of gentoo penguins, elucidating factors influencing this population will have global relevance. Furthermore, historical information indicated potential competition with fisheries, and with prospecting for hydrocarbons and an inshore fishery, there is a need to understand the distribution of these birds across the islands. Penguins are also well suited to carry biologging devices allowing for in situ observations of inter and intraspecific interactions, as well as habitat specific interactions. In this study, I sampled birds over three breeding seasons, from four breeding colonies - chosen for their varied surrounding at sea habitat - across the Falkland Islands. I investigated the diet with stomach content and stable isotope analysis, the at-sea distribution with GPS and time depth recorders, and how these birds behaved at sea using custom made animal-borne camera loggers. Furthermore, I developed a method to recognise prey encounter events from back mounted accelerometers, using a supervised machine learning approach. As part of the first species specific description of diet at this scale for the Falklands, I revealed six key prey items for the birds: rock cod (Patagonotothen spp.), lobster krill (Munida spp.), Falkland herring (Sprattus fuegensis), Patagonian squid (Doryteuthis gahi), juvenile fish (likely all nototheniids), and southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis). The use of animal-borne camera loggers verified that not only do gentoo penguins consume a diverse array of prey items, but they adopted various methods to capture and pursue prey, with evidence of birds following optimal foraging theory. Prey composition varied significantly between study sites with the at-sea distribution and habitat use of penguins reflecting that of local prey. Birds from colonies close to gently sloping, shallow waters, foraged primarily in a benthic manner and had larger niche widths. However, those at a colony surrounded by steeply sloping, deeper waters, typically foraged in a pelagic manner. Contrasting diet patterns were also prevalent from stable isotope data, and the niche widths of birds relating to both stomach content and stable isotope data were larger at colonies where benthic foraging was prevalent. Therefore, it was clear that surrounding bathymetry played a key role in shaping this species’ foraging ecology, and that at the population level at the Falkland Islands birds are generalists. However, at individual colonies some specialisation occurs to take advantage of locally available prey. I developed habitat distribution models - via boosted regression trees – which transferred well in time but poorly across space. Reasons for poor model transfer might relate to the generalist foraging nature of these birds and the reduced availability of environmental predictors owing to the limited range of these birds. I furthermore developed a method to identify prey encounter events that can also, to a degree, distinguish between prey items. This method will be a promising approach to refine habitat distribution models in future. These habitat distribution models could potentially contribute to marine spatial planning at the Falkland Islands. Footage from animal-borne camera loggers clearly showed that prey behaviour can significantly influence trophic coupling in marine systems and should be accounted for in studies using marine top predators as samplers of mid to lower trophic level species. Ultimately, flexibility in foraging strategies and inter-colony variation will play a critical role when assessing factors such as interspecific competition or overlap with anthropogenic activities.