Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability

Sedinger, James S.; Herzog, Mark P.; Person, Brian T.; Kirk, Morgan T.; Obritchkewitch, Tim; Martin, Philip P.; Stickney, Alice A.

doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[1088:lsvigo]2.0.co;2

Cited by 38 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Overall, our results support previous studies that suggested forage availability is directly linked to components of population dynamics through density-dependent effects on gosling growth and first-year survival in geese (Sedinger et al 2001, Sedinger and. We found that timing of breeding relative to plant phenology also affects gosling growth adding to our understanding of potential consequences of increasingly variable climatic conditions (Visser 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Indeed, the per capita availability of high quality forage affects gosling growth rates (Lindholm et al 1994, Sedinger et al 2001, Lake et al 2008, Fondell et al 2011), which in turn could negatively affect components of population dynamics (Schmutz 1993, Shorrocks et al 1998, Cooch et al 2001, Nicolai et al 2014. Density of conspecifics and ecologically similar species can also limit forage availability through exploitation and interference competition (Loonen et al 1997, Sedinger et al 1998, Schmutz and Laing 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, grazing may change the phenotype of some species from a low quality to a high quality forage, thus increasing available feeding habitat (Person et al 2003, Fondell et al 2011. However, overgrazing is detrimental (Kuijper et al 2009) and can result in generally lower gosling growth rates (Cooch et al 1991a, b, Williams et al 1993, Sedinger et al 2001. Thus, densities of geese below a threshold may actually improve foraging conditions, but higher densities are more likely to inhibit gosling growth through exploitive competition (Bazely and Jefferies 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese

Brook¹,

Leafloor²,

Abraham³

et al. 2015

ACE

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ABSTRACT. The extent to which species are plastic in the timing of their reproductive events relative to phenology suggests how climate change might affect their demography. An ecological mismatch between the timing of hatch for avian species and the peak availability in quality and quantity of forage for rapidly growing offspring might ultimately affect recruitment to the breeding population unless individuals can adjust the timing of breeding to adapt to changing phenology. We evaluated effects of goose density, hatch timing relative to forage plant phenology, and weather indices on annual growth of pre-fledging Canada geese (Branta canadensis) from 1993-2010 at Akimiski Island, Nunavut. We found effects of both density and hatch timing relative to forage plant phenology; the earlier that eggs hatched relative to forage plant phenology, the larger the mean gosling size near fledging. Goslings were smallest in years when hatch was latest relative to forage plant phenology, and when local abundance of breeding adults was highest. We found no evidence for a trend in relative hatch timing, but it was apparent that in early springs, Canada geese tended to hatch later relative to vegetation phenology, suggesting that geese were not always able to adjust the timing of nesting as rapidly as vegetation phenology was advanced. Analyses using forage biomass information revealed a positive relationship between gosling size and per capita biomass availability, suggesting a causal mechanism for the density effect. The effects of weather parameters explained additional variation in mean annual gosling size, although total June and July rainfall had a small additive effect on gosling size. Modelling of annual firstyear survival probability using mean annual gosling size as an annual covariate revealed a positive relationship, suggesting that reduced gosling growth negatively impacts recruitment.Dépendance à la densité et désynchronisation phénologique : conséquences sur la croissance et la survie des Bernaches du Canada nichant en milieu subarctique RÉSUMÉ. Le degré de plasticité que montrent les espèces dans la chronologie de leurs activités de reproduction en fonction de la phénologie nous en apprend sur la façon avec laquelle les changements climatiques pourraient affecter leur démographie. Un décalage entre la période d'éclosion des oiseaux et le pic de disponibilité des ressources alimentaires, tant en quantité qu'en qualité, pour les jeunes en croissance, peut ultimement perturber le recrutement dans la population nicheuse, à moins que les individus ne soient capables de synchroniser leur reproduction avec la phénologie changeante. Nous avons évalué les effets de la densité des bernaches, de la période d'éclosion relativement à la phénologie des plantes recherchées pour l'alimentation, et de paramètres météorologiques sur la croissance annuelle de Bernaches du Canada (Branta canadensis) avant leur premier envol, de 1993 à 2010, sur l'île Akimiski au Nunavut. Nous avons observé des effets de la densité et la période d'éc...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese

Brook¹,

Leafloor²,

Abraham³

et al. 2015

ACE

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“…Atom percentage of 13 C enrichment of soil respiration following 13 C 15 N-glycine injection of CRAM and CSUB plots (T0 = 12:00, 25 June) and CRAM Ã and CSUB Ã plots (T0 = 12:00, 27 June). On the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta, both of these grazing states appear potentially stable over the long term, with transitions responding to changes in grazing pressure, while having strong impacts on goose population dynamics because grazing lawns are more nutritious and provide a more manageable, higher biovolume of forage compared with C. ramenskii meadows (Sedinger et al 2001, Hupp et al 2017. 7.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geese mediate vegetation state changes with parallel effects on N cycling that leave nutritional legacies for offspring

et al. 2019

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Along the coastal fringe of the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta in southwestern Alaska, geese maintain grazing lawns dominated by a rhizomatous sedge that, when ungrazed, transitions to a taller, less palatable growth form that is taxonomically described as a different species. Nutrients recycled in goose feces, in conjunction with grazing, are critical to the rapid, nutritious growth of grazing lawns, and selective foraging on lawns has positive life-history consequences for goslings. To examine whether bidirectional vegetation shifts were accompanied by parallel changes in N cycling, we studied how 15 N-urea and 13 C 15 N-glycine were processed through soils and plants of native and recently reverted vegetation states. Biomass and plant 15 N uptake from plots reverted to the tall growth form using exclosures and from those shifted to grazing lawns by experimental clipping and then goose grazing were identical to their native counterparts. Total recovery of 15 N within the tall vegetation types was significantly greater than within grazing lawns, although when expressed on a per-gram biomass basis, percentage of 15 N recovery was significantly higher in grazing lawns compared with the tall vegetation state. Patterns of 13 C enrichment in CO 2 soil efflux showed rapid use of 13 C-glycine as a respiratory substrate within the first hour following injection, with both the timing and magnitude of efflux occurring at similar time points for all four vegetation types. However, higher soil respiration rates and a shorter half-life for 13 C-glycine in soils from tall meadows resulted in a greater proportional loss of 13 CO 2 compared with grazing lawns. Despite dailyto-weekly tidal inundation, all of 15 N from labeled substrates could be accounted for within 1 m of the injection grid from soils of both states after 30 d, with significant levels of 15 N in soils and vegetation after one year. Geese have remarkably high fidelity to brood-rearing areas, returning as adults to the same grazing lawns where they were raised as goslings. Our data suggest that the role fecal-derived nutrients play in the positive feedback loop between geese and their food resources can provide a long-term legacy that spans generations.

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“…Such communities of C. subspathacea are distributed throughout the Holarctic (Hultén, 1990) and are used by many populations and species of geese (Cargill and Jefferies, 1984;Sedinger et al, 2001). On the YKD, these grazing lawns range in size from 10 cm wide linear strips to 0.25 km 2 patches (Person et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Videography to Quantify Landscape-Level Availability of Habitat for Grazers: An Example with Emperor Geese in Western Alaska

Lake

Lindberg²,

Schmutz³

et al. 2009

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. We present a videography approach to estimating large-scale availability of grazing lawns, an important food resource used by broods of emperor geese (Chen canagica) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Sampling was conducted in 1999Sampling was conducted in , 2003Sampling was conducted in , and 2004 at six locations that encompassed ~40% of the North American population of breeding emperor geese. We conducted ground truthing in 2003 and 2004 to estimate how accurately grazing lawn was classified. Overall, classification accuracy for grazing lawn and non-grazing lawn habitat was greater than 91%. Availability of grazing lawns was stable among years, but varied both among and within locations. Some locations have up to three times as much available grazing lawn, which in combination with densities of geese, likely represents dramatic variation in per capita food availability. Our results suggest that videography is a useful way to sample quickly across a large region and accurately identify fine-scale habitats. We present its use for estimating the availability of a preferred food resource for emperor geese, but the method could be applied to many other cases.

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Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability

Cited by 38 publications

References 30 publications

Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese

Density dependence and phenological mismatch: consequences for growth and survival of sub-arctic nesting Canada Geese

Geese mediate vegetation state changes with parallel effects on N cycling that leave nutritional legacies for offspring

Using Videography to Quantify Landscape-Level Availability of Habitat for Grazers: An Example with Emperor Geese in Western Alaska

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