Does body size influence nest attendance? A comparison of Ross’s geese (Chen rossii) and the larger, sympatric lesser snow geese (C. caerulescens caerulescens) |
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| Authors: | Jón Einar Jónsson Alan D Afton and Ray T Alisauskas |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;(2) Present address: Sn?fellsnes Research Centre, University of Iceland, Hafnargata 3, 340 Stykkishólmur, Iceland;(3) United States Geological Survey, Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife, Research Unit, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;(4) Canadian Wildlife Service, 115 Perimeter Road, 57N 0X4 Saskatoon, SK, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The body-size hypothesis predicts that nest attendance is positively related to body size among waterfowl and that recess
duration is inversely related to body size. Several physiological and behavioral characteristics of Ross’s geese (Chen rossii) suggest that females of this species should maintain high nest attendance despite their relatively small body size. Accordingly,
we used 8-mm films to compare the incubation behavior of Ross’s geese to that of the larger, closely-related lesser snow geese
(C. caerulescens caerulescens; hereafter, snow geese) nesting sympatrically at Karrak lake, Nunavut, Canada in 1993. We found that nest attendance averaged
99% for both species. Our results offer no support for the body-size hypothesis. We suggest that temperature requirements
of embryos in relation to short incubation duration and a low foraging efficiency of females select for high nest attendance
in both snow geese and Ross’s geese. |
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| Keywords: | Body size Endogenous reserves Geese Incubation Nest attendance |
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