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- Title
Effects of snow cover on the timing and success of reproduction in high-Arctic pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus.
- Authors
Madsen, Jesper; Tamstorf, Mikkel; Klaassen, Marcel; Eide, Nina; Glahder, Christian; Rigét, Frank; Nyegaard, Helene; Cottaar, Fred
- Abstract
During four breeding seasons, 2003–2006, we studied the relationship between snow cover and nesting performance in pink-footed geese ( Anser brachyrhynchus) in a key breeding site on Svalbard. Snow cover in late May, i.e., at the time of egg laying of geese, was derived from MODIS satellite images. Snow cover had a profound cascading effect on reproductive output via the number of nesting pairs and timing of nesting, which affected nest success, while there was only a tendency for a negative effect on clutch size. Hence, we estimated a five-fold difference in the number of young produced (to post-hatching) between years with little snow and years with high snow cover. The results from the study area correlated with whole-population productivity estimates recorded in autumn. Thus, snow cover derived from MODIS satellite images appears to provide a useful indicator of the breeding conditions in the Arctic.
- Subjects
SVALBARD (Norway); NORWAY; PINK-footed goose; REPRODUCTION; SNOW; ANIMAL breeding
- Publication
Polar Biology, 2007, Vol 30, Issue 11, p1363
- ISSN
0722-4060
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00300-007-0296-9