Effects of snow cover on the timing and success of reproduction in high-Arctic pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus |
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Authors: | Jesper Madsen Mikkel Tamstorf Marcel Klaassen Nina Eide Christian Glahder Frank Rigét Helene Nyegaard Fred Cottaar |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Arctic Environment, National Environmental Research Institute,University of Aarhus,Roskilde,Denmark;2.Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Centre for Limnology,Maarssen,The Netherlands;3.Norwegian Institute for Nature Research,Lillehammer,Norway;4.Haarlem,The Netherlands |
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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. |
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Keywords: | Annual variation Breeding success Migratory birds MODIS Nest-site availability Satellite images |
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