Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability
Abstract We examined variation in growth of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) goslings among two colonies on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in southwestern Alaska and the Colville River Delta on Alaska's Arctic coast. We simultaneously measured abundance and quality of a key food plant, Carex...
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2001
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/118/4/1088/29688687/auk1088.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 2023-12-31T10:03:02+01:00 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. Bosque, C. 2001 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/118/4/1088/29688687/auk1088.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) The Auk volume 118, issue 4, page 1088-1095 ISSN 1938-4254 0004-8038 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2001 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 2023-12-06T08:54:41Z Abstract We examined variation in growth of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) goslings among two colonies on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in southwestern Alaska and the Colville River Delta on Alaska's Arctic coast. We simultaneously measured abundance and quality of a key food plant, Carex subspathacea, and grazing pressure on that plant at the three colonies. Our goal was to measure variation in gosling growth in relation to variation in grazing pressure and food abundance because growth of goslings is directly linked to first-year survival, and consequently is the principal mechanism for density-dependent population regulation. Goslings grew substantially faster on the arctic coast and were nearly 30% larger than those on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta at four to five weeks old. Faster growth on the arctic coast was associated with 2× greater standing crop of C. subspathacea during brood rearing than on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Dispersal rates are high enough (Lindberg et al. 1998) to rule out local adaptation and genetic variation as explanations for observed variation in growth. Our results are consistent with lower survival of goslings from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta during their first fall migration and stronger density-dependent regulation on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta than on the Arctic coast. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Branta bernicla Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon Oxford University Press (via Crossref) The Auk 118 4 1088 1095 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Oxford University Press (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
croxfordunivpr |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Sedinger, James S. Herzog, Mark P. Person, Brian T. Kirk, Morgan T. Obritchkewitch, Tim Martin, Philip P. Stickney, Alice A. Bosque, C. Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Abstract We examined variation in growth of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) goslings among two colonies on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in southwestern Alaska and the Colville River Delta on Alaska's Arctic coast. We simultaneously measured abundance and quality of a key food plant, Carex subspathacea, and grazing pressure on that plant at the three colonies. Our goal was to measure variation in gosling growth in relation to variation in grazing pressure and food abundance because growth of goslings is directly linked to first-year survival, and consequently is the principal mechanism for density-dependent population regulation. Goslings grew substantially faster on the arctic coast and were nearly 30% larger than those on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta at four to five weeks old. Faster growth on the arctic coast was associated with 2× greater standing crop of C. subspathacea during brood rearing than on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Dispersal rates are high enough (Lindberg et al. 1998) to rule out local adaptation and genetic variation as explanations for observed variation in growth. Our results are consistent with lower survival of goslings from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta during their first fall migration and stronger density-dependent regulation on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta than on the Arctic coast. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sedinger, James S. Herzog, Mark P. Person, Brian T. Kirk, Morgan T. Obritchkewitch, Tim Martin, Philip P. Stickney, Alice A. Bosque, C. |
author_facet |
Sedinger, James S. Herzog, Mark P. Person, Brian T. Kirk, Morgan T. Obritchkewitch, Tim Martin, Philip P. Stickney, Alice A. Bosque, C. |
author_sort |
Sedinger, James S. |
title |
Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
title_short |
Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
title_full |
Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
title_fullStr |
Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
title_full_unstemmed |
Large-Scale Variation in Growth of Black Brant Goslings Related to Food Availability |
title_sort |
large-scale variation in growth of black brant goslings related to food availability |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2001 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/118/4/1088/29688687/auk1088.pdf |
genre |
Arctic Branta bernicla Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic Branta bernicla Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon |
op_source |
The Auk volume 118, issue 4, page 1088-1095 ISSN 1938-4254 0004-8038 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.4.1088 |
container_title |
The Auk |
container_volume |
118 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1088 |
op_container_end_page |
1095 |
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1786817411903651840 |