The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China
Herbivores of different body size vary in food selection because of their different metabolic requirements and abilities to harvest and digest food. Compared with smaller grazers, larger ones require higher food quantity but can tolerate poorer quality. This divergence may also explain habitat parti...
Published in: | Journal of Ornithology |
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2013
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Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 |
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ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e 2024-06-23T07:45:39+00:00 The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China Wang, Xin Zhang, Yong Zhao, Meijuan Cao, Lei Fox, Anthony David 2013 https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 eng eng https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Wang , X , Zhang , Y , Zhao , M , Cao , L & Fox , A D 2013 , ' The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China ' , Journal of Ornithology , vol. 154 , pp. 1093-1103 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 article 2013 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 2024-06-04T14:16:36Z Herbivores of different body size vary in food selection because of their different metabolic requirements and abilities to harvest and digest food. Compared with smaller grazers, larger ones require higher food quantity but can tolerate poorer quality. This divergence may also explain habitat partitioning in the distribution of closely related species. By estimating daily energy expenditure (based on observed activity budgets) and energy intake (using the indigestible marker method in food and faeces), we compared the field energy budgets of three wintering herbivorous goose species differing in body size feeding on the same Carex meadows. Throughout the winter, the larger Bean Geese Anser fabalis serrirostris and Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons maintained positive energy budgets grazing lower quality Carex , in contrast to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus which failed to do so and could only maintain positive energy budgets by grazing high-quality Alopecurus , Cynodon and Eleocharis . However, all three species failed to maintain positive energy balance and lost mass in midwinter. These results have important implications for explaining the divergent distribution patterns of these species on their wintering grounds in China. Article in Journal/Newspaper Anser erythropus Anser fabalis Aarhus University: Research Midwinter ENVELOPE(139.931,139.931,-66.690,-66.690) Journal of Ornithology 154 4 1095 1103 |
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Open Polar |
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Aarhus University: Research |
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ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
description |
Herbivores of different body size vary in food selection because of their different metabolic requirements and abilities to harvest and digest food. Compared with smaller grazers, larger ones require higher food quantity but can tolerate poorer quality. This divergence may also explain habitat partitioning in the distribution of closely related species. By estimating daily energy expenditure (based on observed activity budgets) and energy intake (using the indigestible marker method in food and faeces), we compared the field energy budgets of three wintering herbivorous goose species differing in body size feeding on the same Carex meadows. Throughout the winter, the larger Bean Geese Anser fabalis serrirostris and Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons maintained positive energy budgets grazing lower quality Carex , in contrast to the smaller Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus which failed to do so and could only maintain positive energy budgets by grazing high-quality Alopecurus , Cynodon and Eleocharis . However, all three species failed to maintain positive energy balance and lost mass in midwinter. These results have important implications for explaining the divergent distribution patterns of these species on their wintering grounds in China. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wang, Xin Zhang, Yong Zhao, Meijuan Cao, Lei Fox, Anthony David |
spellingShingle |
Wang, Xin Zhang, Yong Zhao, Meijuan Cao, Lei Fox, Anthony David The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
author_facet |
Wang, Xin Zhang, Yong Zhao, Meijuan Cao, Lei Fox, Anthony David |
author_sort |
Wang, Xin |
title |
The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
title_short |
The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
title_full |
The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
title_fullStr |
The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
title_full_unstemmed |
The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China |
title_sort |
benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing carex beds in the yangtze river floodplain, china |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(139.931,139.931,-66.690,-66.690) |
geographic |
Midwinter |
geographic_facet |
Midwinter |
genre |
Anser erythropus Anser fabalis |
genre_facet |
Anser erythropus Anser fabalis |
op_source |
Wang , X , Zhang , Y , Zhao , M , Cao , L & Fox , A D 2013 , ' The benefits of being big: effects of body size on energy budgets of three wintering goose species grazing Carex beds in the Yangtze River Floodplain, China ' , Journal of Ornithology , vol. 154 , pp. 1093-1103 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 |
op_relation |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/0fb2ab84-0428-4adb-9498-6ad41dd2a90e |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0979-7 |
container_title |
Journal of Ornithology |
container_volume |
154 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1095 |
op_container_end_page |
1103 |
_version_ |
1802641814410231808 |