Prediction of the distribution of Arctic‐nesting pink‐footed geese under a warmer climate scenario

Jensen, Rikke A.; Madsen, Jesper; O’Connell, Mark; Wisz, Mary S.; Tømmervik, Hans; Mehlum, Fridtjof

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01461.x

Cited by 175 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…On Svalbard, it is known that early snow melt has a dramatic positive effect on the density of nesting geese and their fecundity (Madsen et al 2007). In the longer term, the advancement of spring in East Greenland may contribute substantially to the continued growth of the populations, such as has been predicted to be the case in Svalbard (Jensen et al 2008). In Jameson Land, the goose families feed in marshes away from the moulting grounds of the non-breeders; hence, the growth in density of breeding geese will not necessarily affect the densities of non-breeding moulting geese.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Madsen

Jaspers

Tamstorf

et al. 2011

AMBIO

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Greening of the Arctic due to climate warming may provide herbivores with richer food supplies, resulting in higher herbivore densities. In turn, this may cause changes in vegetation composition and ecosystem function. In 1982-1984, we studied the ecology of non-breeding moulting geese in Jameson Land, low Arctic East Greenland. By then, geese consumed most of the graminoid production in available moss fens, and it appeared that the geese had filled up the available habitat. In 2008, we revisited the area and found that the number of moulting geese and the temperature sum for June-July had tripled, while the above-ground biomass in a moss fen ungrazed by geese had more than doubled. In a goose-grazed fen, the overall plant composition was unchanged, but the frequency of graminoids had decreased and the area with dead vegetation and open spots had increased. We suggest that climate warming has lead to increased productivity, allowing for higher numbers of moulting geese. However, the reduction of vegetation cover by grazing may have longer term negative consequences for the number of geese the habitat can sustain.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Madsen

Jaspers

Tamstorf

et al. 2011

AMBIO

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“…Western Palaearctic geese population densities have increased considerably during the past decades and climate warming is expected to result in a further growth of at least some of them (Jensen et al 2008). In a field experiment with manipulated grazing by Greylag Geese imposing different grazing pressures, information was gathered on the biomass, decomposition rates and carbon fluxes of temperate grasslands to assess the consequences of winter grazing by geese for two key processes that contribute to the carbon balance of a temperate grassland ecosystem: photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration, and this in different seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As geese numbers are projected to increase partially due to the change in climate (Kéry et al 2006, Jensen et al 2008, the described effect of grazing pressure on the CO 2 fluxes might contribute to a possible feedback loop to climate change. Within that framework, especially NEE, the resultant of GPP and TER, is of interest.…”

Section: Co 2 Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to changes in land use and implementation of protective measures in Europe, the warming climate has improved geese's ability to survive during winter in Western Europe and to arrive in the Arctic breeding areas in good physical condition (Kéry et al 2006, Jensen et al 2008. As a result, population numbers for the majority of Western Palaearctic goose populations have increased considerably during recent decades (Madsen et al 1999, Fox et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter carbon cycling in their winter habitat

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Changes in land use, implementation of protective measures and a warming climate have improved the survival rate of geese, resulting in considerable increases in the majority of Western Palaearctic goose populations during recent decades. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study aiming to understand the impact of goose grazing on carbon cycling in their winter habitat. To this end, the impact of goose grazing pressure on biomass, litter decomposition and CO 2 fluxes (net CO 2 exchange partitioned into photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration) was studied in the coastal polders of Belgium, a wintering habitat for geese of international importance. Experimentally manipulated grazing by Anser anser (Greylag Geese) in grassland mimicked four different grazing pressures, including a control treatment from which geese were excluded. We found that grazing pressure by geese has a significant, but variable effect on carbon fluxes during the entire year. In winter, at the end of the grazing season, both plants' carbon assimilation and total ecosystem respiration were decreased with increasing grazing pressure, resulting in less carbon taken up during day time. Total ecosystem respiration was also reduced due to goose grazing in spring and autumn (i.e., outside the grazing season), while no significant difference in ecosystem CO 2 fluxes was detected in summer. These grazing effects on CO 2 fluxes can partly be explained by the effect of goose grazing on standing biomass. Decomposition rates were significantly reduced by higher grazing pressure during the winter season when geese were present, but on the long term grazing accelerated decomposition rates. Our data suggest that the rising numbers of Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter the carbon balance of their winter habitat. The differences between short-and long-term effects observed in our study demonstrate the complexity of goose grazing effects on carbon cycling and indicate directions for future studies.

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“…Concurrently, a major increase in the population sizes of barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) in Svalbard has occurred (http://www.mosj.no/en/) and the hatch date of little auks (Alle alle) has advanced in the Hornsund area increasing their breeding success (Moe et al 2009). Species distribution models for Svalbard−nesting pink−footed geese (Anser brachyrhyn− chus) suggests that climate warming may lead to a further growth in geese popula− tions (Jensen et al 2008), and therefore enhance the eutrophication of Arctic freshwaters. Lakes and ponds in Svalbard are extremely sensitive to climate changes and when combined with superimposed stressors, they have cascading ef− fects Guilizzoni et al 2006;Luoto et al 2014a;Nevalainen et al 2015), such as increasing lake productivity and warming of surface waters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invertebrate communities of the High Arctic ponds in Hornsund

Luoto¹,

Oksman²,

Ojala³

2016

Polish Polar Research

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Abstract:How environmental conditions influence current distributions of organisms at the local scale in sensitive High Arctic freshwaters is essential to understand in order to better comprehend the cascading consequences of the ongoing climate change. This knowledge is also important background data for paleolimnological assessments of long−term limno− ecological changes and in describing the range of environmental variability. We sampled five limnologically different freshwater sites from the Fuglebergsletta marine terrace in Horn− sund, southern Svalbard, for aquatic invertebrates. Invertebrate communities were tested against non−climatic environmental drivers as limnological and catchment variables. A clear separation in the communities between the sites was observed. The largest and deepest lake was characterized by a diverse Chironomidae community but Cladocera were absent. In a pond with marine influence, crustaceans, such as Ostracoda, Amphipoda, and calanoid Copepoda were the most abundant invertebrates. Two nutrient−rich ponds were dominated by a chironomid, Orthocladius consobrinus, whereas the most eutrophic pond was dominated by the cladoceran Daphnia pulex, suggesting decreasing diversity along with the trophic status. Overall, nutrient related variables appeared to have an important influence on the invertebrate community composition and diversity, the trophic state of the sites being linked with their ex− posure to geese guano. Other segregating variables included water color, presence/absence of fish, abundance of aquatic vegetation and lake depth. These results suggest that since most of these variables are climate−driven at a larger scale, the impacts of the ongoing climate change will have cumulative effects on aquatic ecosystems.

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Prediction of the distribution of Arctic‐nesting pink‐footed geese under a warmer climate scenario

Cited by 175 publications

References 35 publications

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter carbon cycling in their winter habitat

Invertebrate communities of the High Arctic ponds in Hornsund

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