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Response of cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii taverneri) to spatial and temporal variation in the production of crowberries on the Alaska Peninsula

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Abstract

Arctic geese often feed on berries during premigratory fattening. We hypothesized that during autumn staging on the Alaska Peninsula, the distribution of Taverner’s cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii taverneri) would be correlated with spatial variation in crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) abundance. We also predicted that daily rates of fat increase among cackling geese would be higher in years when crowberries were abundant, compared to years when the crowberry crop was poor. Apparent distribution of geese based on fecal densities mirrored patterns of berry abundance, with areas that had highest densities of crowberries being used most heavily by geese. In areas where apparent use was greatest, geese consumed approximately 30 % of the berry crop between early September and mid-October. From 1999 to 2002, annual mean crowberry density in early September ranged from 205 berries m−2 (1999) to 12 berries m−2 (2002). Daily rates of lipid increase averaged 7.6 g day−1 for juvenile and 11.4 g−1 day for adult cackling geese and did not differ among years despite a >90 % difference in annual berry abundance. Although cackling geese used areas with higher densities of berries and apparently consumed a relatively large percentage of the crowberry crop, we could not detect an effect of annual variation in berry abundance on rates of fattening. Berries may have provided relatively little metabolizable biomass due to their high (90 %) water content. However, consumption of crowberries may provide geese with other physiological benefits such as water for osmoregulation or antioxidants and fatty acids that contribute to metabolic performance during migration.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center. We appreciate logistical support from Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. We thank A Brelsford, P Busteed, T Fondell, S Mead, D Miller, J Pelayo, J Reed, M Shepherd, E Wald, J Wasley, and H Wilson for their assistance. Thanks to D Derksen for his support. We appreciate comments by R Gill, B McCaffery, and J Pearce on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Scientific collection of geese was conducted in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Ornithological Council (Fair et al. 2010) and approved under permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

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  1. David E. Safine

    Present address: Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 101 12th Avenue, Room 110, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA

    Jerry W. Hupp & David E. Safine

  2. Western Ecosystems Technology Inc., 2003 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY, 82001, USA

    Ryan M. Nielson

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  1. Jerry W. Hupp
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Correspondence to Jerry W. Hupp.

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Hupp, J.W., Safine, D.E. & Nielson, R.M. Response of cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii taverneri) to spatial and temporal variation in the production of crowberries on the Alaska Peninsula. Polar Biol 36, 1243–1255 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-013-1343-3

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