The Impact of Wild Geese Visiting Improved Grasslands in the Netherlands

Bruinderink, G.W.T.A. Groot

doi:10.2307/2403656

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“… (1) Bazely, Ewins & Mccleery, 1991; (2) Bazely & Jefferies, 1985; (3) Bedard & Gauthier, 1986; (4) Bruinderink, 1989; (5) Bruinzeel et al. , 1997; (6) Brunckhorst, 1996; (7) Burton, Hudson & Bragg, 1979; (8) Ebbinge et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of allochthonous nutrient input into freshwater bodies by herbivorous waterbirds

2007

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1. Waterbirds are considered to import large quantities of nutrients to freshwater bodies but quantification of these loadings remains problematic. We developed two general models to calculate such allochthonous nutrient inputs considering food intake, foraging behaviour and digestive performance of waterbirds feeding in terrestrial habitats: an intake model (IM), mainly based on an allometric relationship for energy requirements and a dropping model (DM), based on allometric relationships for defaecation. 2. Reviewed data of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content of herbivorous food varied according to diet type (foliage, seeds and roots), season and fertilization. For model parameterization average foliage diet contained 38.20 mg N g )1 and 3.21 mg P g )1 (dry weight), whereas mean faeces composition was 45.02 mg N g )1 and 6.18 mg P g )1 .3. Daily allochthonous nutrient input increased with body mass ranging from 0.29 g N and 0.03 g P in teals Anas crecca to 5.69 g N and 0.57 g P in mute swans Cygnus olor. Results from IM differed from those of DM from ducks to swans by 63-108% for N and by )4 to 23% for P. Model uncertainty was lowest for the IM and mainly caused by variation in estimates of food retention time (RT). In DM food RT and dropping mass determined model uncertainty in similar extent. 4. Exemplarily applying the models to Dutch wetlands resulted in mean annual contribution of herbivorous waterbirds to allochthonous nutrient loading of 382.8 ± 167.1 tonnes N a )1 and 34.7 ± 2.3 tonnes P a )1 , respectively, which corresponds to annual surface-water loadings of 1.07 kg N ha )1 and 0.10 kg P ha )1 . 5. There was a distinct seasonal pattern with peak loadings in January, when bird abundances were highest. Lowest inputs were in August, when bird abundance and nutrient content in food was low and birds foraged less in terrestrial habitats. Three-quarters of all nutrient input was contributed by greater white-fronted goose Anser albifrons, greylag goose Anser anser, wigeon Anas penelope and barnacle goose Branta leucopsis alone. 6. We provide general, easy to use calculation methods for the estimation of allochthonous nutrient inputs by waterbirds, which are applicable to a range of waterbird species, a variety of potential diets and feeding behaviours, and across spatial scales. Such tools may greatly assist in the planning and execution of management actions for wetland nutrient budgets.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of allochthonous nutrient input into freshwater bodies by herbivorous waterbirds

2007

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“…Moreover, the high protein and therefore N content in animals is associated with higher P contents (Sterner & Elser, 2002), resulting in higher N and P excretion in carnivorous birds compared with herbivorous birds of similar size (e.g. Kear, 1963; Bruinderink, 1989; Marion et al. , 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the contribution of carnivorous waterbirds to nutrient loading in freshwater habitats

2007

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1. We estimated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loading into wetlands by carnivorous waterbirds with alternative physiological models using a food-intake and an excretaproduction approach. The models were applied for non-breeding and breeding Dutch inland carnivorous waterbird populations to quantify their contribution to nutrient loading on a landscape scale. 2. Model predictions based on food intake exceeded those based on excretion by 59-62% for N and by 2-36% for P, depending on dietary assumptions. Uncertainty analysis indicated that the intake model was most affected by errors in energy requirement, while the excretion model was dependent on faecal nutrient composition. 3. Per capita loading rate of non-breeders increased with body mass from 0.3-0.8 g N day )1 and 0.15 g P day )1 in little gulls Larus minutus to 4.5-11.5 g N day )1 and 2.1-3.2 g P day )1 in great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo. For breeding birds, the estimated nutrient loading by a family unit over the entire breeding period ranged between 17.6-443.0 g N and 8.6 g P for little tern Sterna albifrons to 619.6-1755.6 g N and 316.2-498.1 g P for great cormorants. 4. We distinguished between external (i.e. importing) and internal (i.e. recycling) nutrient loading by carnivorous waterbirds. For the Netherlands, average external-loading estimates ranged between 38.1-91.5 tonnes N and 16.7-18.2 tonnes P per year, whilst internal-loading estimates ranged between 53.1-140.5 tonnes N and 25.2-39.2 tonnes P and per year. The average contribution of breeding birds was estimated to be 17% and 32% for external and internal loading respectively. Most important species were black-headed gull Larus ridibundus and mew gull Larus canus for external loading, and great cormorant and grey heron Ardea cinerea for internal loading. 5. On a landscape scale, loading by carnivorous waterbirds was of minor importance for freshwater habitats in the Netherlands with 0.26-0.65 kg N ha )1 a )1 and 0.12-0.16 kg P ha )1 a )1 . However, on a local scale, breeding colonies may be responsible for significant P loading.

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“…This pattern of decreased aboveground biomass with increased goose grazing is also found in the temperate grasslands of the wintering habitat, albeit less pronounced (Groot Bruinderink 1989, Van Gils et al 2010. How much CO 2 is taken up from, or released to, the atmosphere by ecosystems depends on the magnitude of photosynthetic inputs and respiration outputs (both autotrophic and heterotrophic), respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter carbon cycling in their winter habitat

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Changes in land use, implementation of protective measures and a warming climate have improved the survival rate of geese, resulting in considerable increases in the majority of Western Palaearctic goose populations during recent decades. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study aiming to understand the impact of goose grazing on carbon cycling in their winter habitat. To this end, the impact of goose grazing pressure on biomass, litter decomposition and CO 2 fluxes (net CO 2 exchange partitioned into photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration) was studied in the coastal polders of Belgium, a wintering habitat for geese of international importance. Experimentally manipulated grazing by Anser anser (Greylag Geese) in grassland mimicked four different grazing pressures, including a control treatment from which geese were excluded. We found that grazing pressure by geese has a significant, but variable effect on carbon fluxes during the entire year. In winter, at the end of the grazing season, both plants' carbon assimilation and total ecosystem respiration were decreased with increasing grazing pressure, resulting in less carbon taken up during day time. Total ecosystem respiration was also reduced due to goose grazing in spring and autumn (i.e., outside the grazing season), while no significant difference in ecosystem CO 2 fluxes was detected in summer. These grazing effects on CO 2 fluxes can partly be explained by the effect of goose grazing on standing biomass. Decomposition rates were significantly reduced by higher grazing pressure during the winter season when geese were present, but on the long term grazing accelerated decomposition rates. Our data suggest that the rising numbers of Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter the carbon balance of their winter habitat. The differences between short-and long-term effects observed in our study demonstrate the complexity of goose grazing effects on carbon cycling and indicate directions for future studies.

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The Impact of Wild Geese Visiting Improved Grasslands in the Netherlands

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Quantification of allochthonous nutrient input into freshwater bodies by herbivorous waterbirds

Quantification of allochthonous nutrient input into freshwater bodies by herbivorous waterbirds

Estimating the contribution of carnivorous waterbirds to nutrient loading in freshwater habitats

Western Palaearctic breeding geese can alter carbon cycling in their winter habitat

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