Effects of spring conditions on breeding propensity of greater snow goose females. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 27:35–46.

• Main Authors: E T Reed, G Gauthier, J.-F Giroux
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1077.6913; http://www.bcn.cat/museuciencies_fitxers/imatges/FitxerContingut4215.pdf

Abstract Effects of spring conditions on breeding propensity of Greater Snow Goose females.-Breeding propensity, defined as the probability that a sexually mature adult will breed in a given year, is an important determinant of annual productivity. It is also one of the least known demographic parameters in vertebrates. We studied the relationship between breeding propensity and conditions on spring staging areas (a spring conservation hunt) and the breeding grounds (spring snow cover) in Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica), a long distance migrant that breeds in the High Arctic. We combined information from mark-recapture, telemetry, and nest survey data to estimate breeding propensity over a 7-year period. True temporal variation in breeding propensity was considerable (mean: 0.574 [95% CI considering only process variation: 0.13 to 1.0]). Spring snow cover was negatively related to breeding propensity ( snow = -2.05 ± 0.96 SE) and tended to be reduced in years with a spring hunt ( = -0.78 ± 0.35). Nest densities on the breeding colony and fall ratios of young:adults were good indices of annual variation in breeding propensity, with nest densities being slightly more precise. These results suggest that conditions encountered during the pre-breeding period can have a significant impact on productivity of Arctic-nesting birds. Key words: Breeding propensity, Capture-recapture, Chen caerulescens atlantica, Environmental stochasticity, Greater Snow Goose, Reproduction. Resumen Efectos de las condiciones primaverales en la propensión reproductora de las hembras de ánsar nival.-La propensión reproductora, definida como la probabilidad de que un adulto sexualmente maduro se reproduzca en un determinado año, constituye un importante determinante de la productividad anual. También es uno de los parámetros demográficos menos conocidos de los vertebrados. Estudiamos la relación entre la propensión reproductora y las condiciones reproductoras en áreas de acumulación primaveral de nutrientes (cacería ...