Biding time before breeding: flexible use of the Arctic landscape by migratory geese during spring

Anderson, Helen; Hübner, Christiane; Speed, James D. M.; Madsen, Jesper; Wal, René van der

doi:10.3402/polar.v34.26372

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Only bean geese and greater white-fronted geese made short stopovers in a few wetlands along rivers within the taiga forest ecoregion. All staged in spring north of 60°N for periods of two weeks prior to arrival at ultimate breeding areas, providing breeding females with time to acquire fat and protein stores for reproductive investment prior to rapid follicular development before egg laying ( Anderson et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds?

Wang

Cao

Bysykatova

et al. 2018

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The degree of inhospitable terrain encountered by migrating birds can dramatically affect migration strategies and their evolution as well as influence the way we develop our contemporary flyway conservation responses to protect them. We used telemetry data from 44 tagged individuals of four large-bodied, Arctic breeding waterbird species (two geese, a swan and one crane species) to show for the first time that these birds fly non-stop over the Far East taiga forest, despite their differing ecologies and migration routes. This implies a lack of suitable taiga refuelling habitats for these long-distance migrants. These results underline the extreme importance of northeast China spring staging habitats and of Arctic areas prior to departure in autumn to enable birds to clear this inhospitable biome, confirming the need for adequate site safeguard to protect these populations throughout their annual cycle.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds?

Wang

Cao

Bysykatova

et al. 2018

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, as intimated by Jefferies and Drent (2006), it appears that, in Svalbard at least, we are not dealing with a scenario similar to that found with lesser snow geese in the Canadian Arctic. Pink-footed geese respond to differing snow cover conditions through flexible use of the landscape; for example, by initiating nesting earlier when snow cover is low (Madsen et al 2007) or by remaining at pre-breeding sites when snow cover is high (Anderson, Hübner et al 2015). Therefore, future changes in spring snow conditions (extent of cover and melt-out rates) is likely to have a strong influence on where grubbing and its impacts on vegetation are felt most at the landscape scale (i.e.…”

Section: Pre-breeding Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Svalbard-breeding population overwinters along the northern coastline of the Low Countries of Europe, migrating through Norway to arrive in Svalbard in mid-May (Fox et al 2006). The arrival period to Svalbard is fixed to a one-week period in mid-May (Glahder et al 2006), after which geese then spend a short time at pre-breeding staging sites (Fox et al 2006;Glahder et al 2006;Anderson, Hübner et al 2015) before moving to their breeding grounds to initiate nesting when snowmelt allows access to their nest sites (Madsen et al 2007). Early in the season, prior to the availability of sufficient above-ground plant material, geese feed by grubbing for the nutritious below-ground rhizomes and storage organs of Arctic tundra plants (Fox et al 2006(Fox et al , 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late snow melt moderates herbivore disturbance of the Arctic tundra

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resilience of tundra vegetation to disturbance by herbivores can be low and lead to ecosystem state shifts. Pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus are the most numerous herbivore on Svalbard and disturb vegetation when foraging for below-ground plant biomass (grubbing). We assessed grubbing extent (occurrence of vegetation disturbance) and intensity (proportion of vegetation disturbed) in 2006/07/08 when goose numbers were approximately 56,000 and in 2013 when they increased to approximately 81,000. Despite a 36% increase in population size, in 2013 the grubbing extent at pre-breeding sites was similar to that in 2007/08 but grubbing intensity was lower. Extensive snow cover in 2013 probably dispersed geese over larger areas in search of snow-free patches for feeding, thereby reducing grubbing intensity. At the largest known breeding site, both grubbing extent and intensity increased with more geese. Birds preferentially fed close to nests in previously grubbed wet habitat, probably aiding nest defence and permitting feeding on plants that were easier to remove from the soil. A greater impact on tundra vegetation may occur at nesting areas if the breeding population continues to grow. However, timing of snowmelt appears key in moderating the impact of disturbance on tundra vegetation since it controls spatial distributions of feeding geese. RÉSUMÉ La résilience de la végétation de toundra à la perturbation par les herbivores peut être faible et mener l'écosystème à changer d'état. Les oies à bec court Anser brachyrhynchus sont les herbivores les plus nombreux du Svalbard et perturbent la végétation en fouillant le sol à la recherche de biomasse souterraine de plantes (déracinement). Nous avons déterminé l'étendue du déracinement (occurrence de végétation perturbée) et son intensité (proportion de végétation perturbée) en 2006, 2007 et 2008 quand le nombre d'oies était c. 56 000 et en 2013 quand il a augmenté à c. 81 000. Malgré une augmentation de 36% de la taille de la population, l'étendue du déracinement en 2013 aux sites avant accouplement était similaire à celle de 2007-2008, mais l'intensité du déracinement était plus faible. Le couvert nival extensif en 2013 a probablement mené les oies à se disperser sur une plus grande superficie à la recherche de parcelles à découvert pour s'alimenter, réduisant ainsi l'intensité du déracinement. Au plus grand site d'accouplement connu, l'étendue et l'intensité du déracinement ont augmenté avec le nombre d'oies. Les oiseaux s'alimentaient préférentiellement à proximité des nids dans les milieux humides précédemment déracinés, favorisant probablement la défense des nids et permettant l'alimentation sur des plantes plus faciles à retirer du sol. Un impact plus important sur la végétation de toundra pourrait survenir dans les aires de nidification si la population continue de croître. Toutefois, la période de fonte des neiges semble être un modérateur important de l'impact de la perturbation sur la végétation de toundra puisqu'elle contrôle la répartition spatiale des aire...

show abstract

“…Especially in dry Arctic tundra habitats, goose disturbances can cause long‐lasting biomass reductions because vegetation growth and recovery are generally slow (Forbes et al, 2001; Jefferies et al, 2003; Speed et al, 2009; Van der Wal, 2006). Selective feeding for preferred vegetation (Speed et al, 2009) and variations in snow cover will therefore play a role in determining which parts of the tundra will be most exposed to goose disturbances (Anderson et al, 2015). Explicit documentation of snow cover impact on habitat selection and vegetation disturbance are yet limited (but see Anderson et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Svalbard breeding pink‐footed goose population has increased from c. 15,000 in the 1960s (Madsen, 1982) to c. 80,000 in 2015–2019 (Heldbjerg et al, 2021). They utilize pre‐breeding sites in Svalbard to feed until their breeding grounds are free from snow (Anderson et al, 2015; Duriez et al, 2009; Fox et al, 2006; Hübner et al, 2010). Upon arrival, geese prefer low‐lying moist and wet habitats, but extensive snow cover can prevent access to these areas (Anderson et al, 2016; Pedersen, Speed, et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snowmelt progression drives habitat selection and vegetation disturbance by an Arctic avian herbivore

Eischeid,

Madsen,

Ims

et al. 2023

Ecosphere

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Arctic tundra vegetation is affected by rapid climatic change and fluctuating herbivore population sizes. Broad‐billed geese, after their arrival in spring, feed intensively on belowground rhizomes, thereby disturbing soil, mosses, and vascular plant vegetation. Understanding of how springtime snowmelt patterns drive goose behavior is thus key to better predict the state of Arctic tundra ecosystems. Here, we analyzed how snowmelt progression affected springtime habitat selection and vegetation disturbance by pink‐footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) in Svalbard during 2019. Our analysis, based on GPS telemetry data and field observations of geese, plot‐based assessments of signs of vegetation disturbance, and drone and satellite images, covered two spatial scales (fine scale: extent 0.3 km2, resolution 5 cm; valley scale: extent 30 km2, resolution 10 m). We show that pink‐footed goose habitat selection and signs of vegetation disturbance were correlated during the spring pre‐breeding period; disturbances were most prevalent in the moss tundra vegetation class and areas free from snow early in the season. The results were consistent across the spatial scales and methods (GPS telemetry and field observations). We estimated that 23.4% of moss tundra and 11.2% of dwarf‐shrub heath vegetation in the valley showed signs of disturbance by pink‐footed geese during the study period. This study demonstrates that aerial imagery and telemetry can provide data to detect disturbance hotspots caused by pink‐footed geese. Our study provides empirical evidence to general notions about implications of climate change and snow season changes that include increased variability in precipitation.

show abstract

Biding time before breeding: flexible use of the Arctic landscape by migratory geese during spring

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds?

The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds?

Late snow melt moderates herbivore disturbance of the Arctic tundra

Snowmelt progression drives habitat selection and vegetation disturbance by an Arctic avian herbivore

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About