Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Bird Conservation International
Volume: 33 , Pages: e42, 1–8
DOI: 10.1017/S0959270922000478
Language:
English
Full reference: Kruckenberg, H., Moonen S., Kölzsch, A., Liljebäck, N. & Müskens, GJDM. 2022. Migration routes and stepping stones along the western flyway of Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus). Bird Conservation International 33: e42, 1–8 https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0959270922000478
Keywords: reintroduction, Sweden, migration routes, tracking, Brownian bridge, dBBMM,
Abstract:
In 2015 and 2016 four Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus), a globally threatened species, were caught and tagged during spring migration representing nearly 10% of the entire Swedish breeding population at the time. Two of the birds were followed over more than one season. Tracking data revealed an unexpected wide network of migration corridors and staging sites. Autumn and spring migration differed by stepping-stone sites and migration speed. So far unknown key stopover sites were discovered in Denmark, northern Germany, and Sweden. By using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models, the potential areas that Lesser Whitefronted Geese used during migration are described and conservation implications spotlighted. This study provides another important piece of the puzzle describing the migration of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Western Europe.
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Ornis Hungarica
Volume: 28 , Pages: 28–48.
Language:
English
(In English with Hungarian summary)
Full reference: Zuban, I., Vilkov, V., Kalashnikov, M., Zhadan, K. & Bisseneva, A. 2020. The results of spring monitoring on the status of geese populations in the North Kazakhstan Region during 2011-2018. Ornis Hungarica 28: 28–48. https://www.dx.doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2020-0003
Keywords: monitoring, Kazakhstan, Northern Kazakhstan, spring staging
Abstract:
The article presents the results of monitoring studies on the population dynamics of goose species at one of the largest stopover sites in Northern Kazakhstan during the springs of 2011–2018. Comparative analysis of the phenological phases at the beginning and end of migration over a 50 year period is conducted and changes in timing of migration for the studied groups are established. Data on the number of flocks at various stages of the migration process are presented. Authors revealed characteristics of the distribution of birds in the directions of migration through the region associated with the presence of various migration strategies. Based on the distribution and number of geese in the region for rest and feeding, key zones with characteristics of their natural and anthropogenic state were identified. It has been established that water bodies and large areas have optimal conditions for rest and replenishment of energy reserves for the birds.
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Ecology and evolution
Volume: 10 , Pages: 5281–5292
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6272
Language:
English
External Link:
Full reference: Zhang, P., Zou, Y. A., Xie, Y., Zhang, S., Chen, X., Li, F., Deng, Z., Zhang, H., & Tu, W. 2020. Hydrology-driven responses of herbivorous geese in relation to changes in food quantity and quality. Ecology and evolution 10: 5281–5292 https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6272
Keywords: Dongting Lake, China, diet, food shortage, habitat selection
Abstract:
East Dongting Lake is a Ramsar site and a particularly important wintering ground for herbivorous geese along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The operation of the Three Gorges Dam has changed the water regime and has a significant impact on wetland ecosystems downstream. We studied the responses of two sympatric herbivorous goose species, the Lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus and Bean goose Anser fabalis, to habitat change by investigating their food conditions, habitat selection, and diet composition in the wintering periods of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, which had early and late water recession, respectively. It was expected that the contrasting water regimes would result in different food conditions and geese responses. The results showed that the food quality and quantity differed significantly between winters. As responses to the high-quantity/low-quality food during 2016/2017, more geese switched to feeding on mudflat and exploited plants such as dicotyledons and moss. The tall swards of Carex spp. (dominant plants in the meadow) that developed during the first growing season decreased the food accessibility during the second growing season and hindered the exploitation of newly generated shoots by the geese, which was further confirmed by our clipping control experiment. Nearly all the geese chose to feed on meadow, and Carex spp. made up the majority of their diet in 2017/2018 when there was more low-quantity/high-quality food. Compared with the globally vulnerable Lesser white-fronted geese, the larger-sized Bean geese seemed to be less susceptible to winter food shortages and exhibited more stable responses. We concluded that the food quality-quantity condition was the external factor influencing the geese responses, while morphological and physiological traits could be the internal factors causing different responses between the two species. This study enhanced the understanding of the influence that habitat change exerts on herbivorous geese in their wintering site in the context of the Three Gorges Dam operation. We suggested that regulating hydrological regime was important in terms of wetland management and species conservation.
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Ecology and Evolution
Volume: 10 , Pages: 5281-5292.
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6272
Language:
English
External Link:
Full reference: Pingyang, Z., Ye-ai, Z., Yonghong, X., Siqi, Z., Xinsheng, C., Feng, L., Zhengmiao, D., Hong, Z. & Wei, T. 2020. Hydrology-driven responses of herbivorous geese in relation to changes in food quantity and quality. Ecology and Evolution 10: 5281-5292. https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6272
Keywords: Bean goose, diet, Dongting Lake, wetland, food shortage, habitat selection, China
Abstract:
East Dongting Lake is a Ramsar site and a particularly important wintering ground for herbivorous geese along the East Asian‐Australasian Flyway. The operation of the Three Gorges Dam has changed the water regime and has a significant impact on wetland ecosystems downstream. We studied the responses of two sympatric herbivorous goose species, the Lesser white‐fronted goose Anser erythropus and Bean goose Anser fabalis, to habitat change by investigating their food conditions, habitat selection, and diet composition in the wintering periods of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, which had early and late water recession, respectively. It was expected that the contrasting water regimes would result in different food conditions and geese responses. The results showed that the food quality and quantity differed significantly between winters. As responses to the high‐quantity/low‐quality food during 2016/2017, more geese switched to feeding on mudflat and exploited plants such as dicotyledons and moss. The tall swards of Carex spp. (dominant plants in the meadow) that developed during the first growing season decreased the food accessibility during the second growing season and hindered the exploitation of newly generated shoots by the geese, which was further confirmed by our clipping control experiment. Nearly all the geese chose to feed on meadow, and Carex spp. made up the majority of their diet in 2017/2018 when there was more low‐quantity/high‐quality food. Compared with the globally vulnerable Lesser white‐fronted geese, the larger‐sized Bean geese seemed to be less susceptible to winter food shortages and exhibited more stable responses. We concluded that the food quality–quantity condition was the external factor influencing the geese responses, while morphological and physiological traits could be the internal factors causing different responses between the two species. This study enhanced the understanding of the influence that habitat change exerts on herbivorous geese in their wintering site in the context of the Three Gorges Dam operation. We suggested that regulating hydrological regime was important in terms of wetland management and species conservation.
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Microbiology Open
Volume: 9 , Pages: e1037
DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1037
Language:
English
External Link:
Full reference: Liu, G., Gong, Z., & Li, Q. 2020. Variations in gut bacterial communities between lesser white-fronted geese wintering at Caizi and Shengjin lakes in China. Microbiology Open 9: e1037 https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.1037
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene, gut bacterial community, variation, China
Abstract:
The avian gut microbiota plays an important role in shaping the health of its host. However, knowledge of gut bacteria in birds lags behind that of other animals. In this study, we investigated the gut bacterial communities of lesser white-fronted geese (Anser erythropus) wintering at Shengjin Lake and Caizi Lake, China, using high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). Altogether, 1,053,624 high-quality sequences and 4,405 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were acquired from 30 fecal samples (15 per lake). The OTUs represented eight phyla and 17 classes from the Caizi Lake samples and seven phyla and 16 classes from the Shengjin Lake samples. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla. The spatial distance and the Chao1, Simpson, and Shannon indices showed that the alpha diversity differed significantly between the samples from both lakes. The phylogenetic tree and heatmap analyses showed that all the Caizi Lake samples were clustered together and all the Shengjin Lake samples were clustered together. These findings suggest that diet may be an important driver of gut microbial community structure in the birds from each lake, and the obvious differentiation in their gut microbial structures may indicate that the bacteria are highly sensitive to food sources at both lakes.
Literature type: Report
Language:
English
Full reference: Schekkerman, H. & Koffijberg, K. 2019. Annual survival in the Swedish Lesser White-fronted Geese. , Sovon-report 2019/63, Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland, Nijmegen. 22 pp.
Keywords: reintroduction, farming, releases, survival, Sweden
Abstract:
This report presents the first effort to estimate annual survival rates in the LWfG from the Swedish breeding population. It is among the first studies at all to quantify annual survival probabilities in this highly threatened species. An extensive dataset with live resightings was used as input in a mark-recapture survival analyses in MARK. At present, resighting probabilities of the marked birds are very high, i.e. >95%, thus reflecting nearly the entire ringed population. This is made possible by a large number of volunteer ring readers and dedicated effort of the project to facilitate ring reading at key staging sites (see Figure 1). Figure 4 summarises the survival rates described in chapter 3. The main conclusions that can be drawn from the analyses are: 1) During the first project phase (period 1, releases until 1999) there was an overall increase in annual survival probabilities in all age-classes in the course of the project, i.e. between 1984-2003. Survival was lowest in birds that had been released as yearlings, without any parental care, followed by first-year survival in birds that had been released as juveniles with Barnacle Goose as forster parents. Remarkably, survival was slightly higher in the 2nd year after release for birds released as juveniles than in adult birds (3 years and older, birds released as juveniles and yearlings combined); 2) During the second project phase (period 2, after 2010) there was no trend in survival rates over time (but note that this period spans just five years). Birds released as yearlings had rather similar (low) survival probabilities as those in the first project phase. However, first-year survival in birds released as juveniles was lower (and now comparable with birds released as yearlings) than in the first project phase, likely because juveniles were now released without parental care. Again, survival in the 2nd year after release for birds released as juvenile was somewhat higher than adult survival. Adult survival in the second period was lower than in the first period, but also subject to some variation (note standard error). Again note that the period for which this could be calculated is rather short, as only data from 2012-2017 were taken into account.
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Freshwater biology
Volume: 64 , Pages: 1183-1195.
DOI: 10.1111/fwb.13294
Language:
English
Full reference: Jialin, L., Yifei, J., Yuyu, W., Guangchun, L., Cai, L., Neil, S., & Li, W. 2019. Behavioural plasticity and trophic niche shift: How wintering geese respond to habitat alteration. Freshwater biology 64: 1183-1195. https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13294
Keywords: behavioural response, hydrological regimes, trophic niche width, trophic position, wintering habitats, China
Abstract:
1. The accelerated rate of human-induced environmental change poses a significant challenge for wildlife. The ability of wild animals to adapt to environmental changes has important consequences for their fitness, survival, and reproduction. Behavioural flexibility, an immediate adjustment of behaviour in response to environmental variability, may be particularly important for coping with anthropogenic change. The main aim of this study was to quantify the response of two wintering goose species (bean goose Anser fabalis and lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus) to poor habitat condition at population level by studying foraging behaviour. In addition, we tested whether behavioural plasticity could alter trophic niche. 2. We characterised foraging behaviours and calculated daily home range (HR) of the geese using global positioning system tracking data. We calculated standard ellipse areas to quantify niche width using the δ13C and δ15N values of individual geese. We linked behavioural plasticity with habitat quality using ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) models. We also tested the correlation between standard ellipse areas and HR using ANCOVA model. 3. We found significant differences in geese foraging behaviours between years in their daily foraging area, travel distance and speed, and turning angle. Specifically, the birds increased their foraging area to satisfy their daily energy intake requirement in response to poor habitat conditions. They flew more sinuously and travelled faster and longer distances on a daily basis. For the endangered lesser white-fronted goose, all behaviour variables were associated with habitat quality. For bean goose, only HR and turning angle were correlated with habitat quality. The birds, especially the lesser white-fronted goose, may have had a higher trophic position under poor conditions. 4. Our findings indicate that wintering geese showed a high degree of behavioural plasticity. However, more active foraging behaviours under poor habitat condition did not lead to a broader trophic niche. Habitat availability could be responsible to the divergent responses of foraging HR and isotopic niche to human-induced environmental change. Therefore, maintaining natural hydrological regimes during the critical period (i.e. September–November) to ensure that quality food
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: Ibis
Volume: 160 , Pages: 703-705.
DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12605
Language:
English
Full reference: Zhao, Q, Wang, X., Cao, L. & Fox, A.D. 2018. Why Chinese wintering geese hesitate to exploit farmland. Ibis 160: 703-705. https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12605
Keywords: China, farmland feeding, habitat shift, human, disturbance, Yangtze River, habitat loss, population trends
Literature type: Scientific
Journal: The Science of the total environment
Volume: 636 , Pages: 30-38
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.247
Language:
English
Full reference: Zhang, P., Zou, Y., Xie, Y., Zhang, H., Liu, X., Gao, D., & Yi, F. 2018. Shifts in distribution of herbivorous geese relative to hydrological variation in East Dongting Lake wetland, China. The Science of the total environment 636: 30-38 https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.247
Keywords: Hydrological regime, East Dongting Lake, China, distribution dynamic, percentage similarity, NDVI
Abstract:
Studies on distribution dynamics of waterbirds and the relation with hydrological changes are essential components of ecological researches. East Dongting Lake is a Ramsar site and especially important wintering ground for herbivorous geese along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. In this paper, based on annual (2008/09–2016/17) waterbird census data, we investigated the spatial-temporal distributions of three herbivorous goose species (Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus, Bean Goose Anser fabalis, and Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons) within East Dongting Lake, and analyzed their distribution dynamics (denoted by percentage similarity index, PSI) relative to variations in hydrological regime. The results demonstrated that the distribution of the globally vulnerable Lesser White-fronted Geese changed obviously between years, whereas that of Bean Geese was more stable. Greater White-fronted Geese suffered drastic distribution variation during the study period. The PSI of Lesser White-fronted Geese was negatively correlated with between-year difference in water recession time and mean water level in October, whereas no obvious trend was found in Bean Geese. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied to detect changes in food resources of the geese, and significant correlations were also found between NDVI and hydrological factors. It was inferred that the variations in hydrological regime affected the annual distribution dynamics of LesserWhite-fronted Geese by changing food conditions; whereas the effect on Bean Geese were not reflected in this study. Species traits may explain the differences in distribution dynamics among the three goose species. It was speculated that Lesser Whitefronted Geese might be more sensitive to habitat change, whereas Bean Geese were more resilient. We suggested that regulating hydrological regime was crucial in management works. Our study could offer scientific information for species conservation in the context of habitat changes in East Dongting Lake wetland and provide potential insights into habitat management in this area.
Literature type: Report
Language:
English
Full reference: Jones, I.L., Whytock, R.C. & Bunnefeld, N. 2018. Assessing motivations for the illegal killing of Lesser White-fronted Geese at key sites in Kazakhstan. , AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group Report Series No. 6, Bonn, Germany.
Keywords: conservation, hunting, Kazakhstan, illegal hunting, Questionnaires, Unmatched Count Technique
Number of results: 110