The dynamics of landscape change and snow geese in mid‐continent North America

Abstract

The Mid-Continent Population of the lesser snow goose, which breeds in the eastern and central Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic, and winters in the southern United States and northern Mexico has increased 5-7% annually from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s, largely because of increased survival in response to an agricultural food subsidy. The rise in numbers complements the increased use of nitrogen fertilizers and a corresponding rise in yields of rice, corn, and wheat along the flyways and on the wintering grounds. In sub-Arctic migration areas and at Arctic breeding colonies, foraging by high numbers of birds has led to loss of coastal vegetation, adverse changes in soil properties and the establishment of an alternative stable state of exposed sediment, which can be detected with LANDSAT imagery. At a local scale, gosling growth, size and survival decreased in affected areas and other taxa have been adversely affected. The food subsidy on wintering and migration areas appears insufficient to meet reproductive demands as foraging in spring continues to occur on southern Hudson Bay staging and nesting areas. The recent introduction of liberal hunting regulations may reduce population size in the near term, but the revegetation of these coastal ecosystems will take decades to achieve. The present pattern of vegetation loss in these Arctic coastal systems is likely to continue in the forseeable future.

Migratory connectivity in Arctic geese: spring stopovers are the weak links in meeting targets for breeding

“…The ability to shift to habitats dominated by agricultural crops differs between the species and season, and recent reviews stress the uncertainties associated with ongoing change (Abraham et al 2005;Gauthier et al 2005;Ward et al 2005;Fox et al 2005;Van Eerden et al 2005). Jefferies et al (2006) point out that current agricultural policy in both North America and Europe will tend to reduce the acreage and quality of crop foods available to geese in winter (and, in many populations, spring as well, see, e.g., Percival and Percival 1997).…”

Spatial patterns of goose grubbing suggest elevated grubbing in dry habitats linked to early snowmelt

“…Most of these populations have increased significantly over the last few decades due to conservation efforts, intensified agricultural practices and a warmer climate (Abraham et al 2005;Fox et al 2005;Kery et al 2006;Bauer et al 2008;Fox et al 2010). The Arctic tundra is therefore linked to European land use and conservation policies and management strategies for migrating goose populations.…”

Hydrological Connectivity and Basin Morphometry Influence Seasonal Water-Chemistry Variations in Tundra Ponds of the Northwestern Hudson Bay Lowlands

“…1). These increases have been attributed to a combination of agricultural food subsidies in their wintering grounds, creation of conservation refuges along migration flyways, and warmer nesting locations, all of which increased energy allocated to reproduction and survival rates (Batt, 1997;Abraham et al, 2005b;Jefferies et al, 2006). At present, little is known about the consequences of the increased LSG population on the hydrolimnological and biogeochemical conditions of the coastal ponds of WNP.…”