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Breeding dispersal in a heterogeneous landscape: the influence of habitat and nesting success in greater snow geese

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Abstract

Despite numerous studies on breeding dispersal, it is still unclear how habitat heterogeneity and previous nesting success interact to determine nest-site fidelity at various spatial scales. In this context, we investigated factors affecting breeding dispersal in greater snow geese (Anser caerulescens atlanticus), an Arctic breeding species nesting in two contrasting habitats (wetlands and mesic tundra) with variable pattern of snowmelt at the time of settlement in spring. From 1994 to 2005, we monitored the nesting success and breeding dispersal of individually marked females. We found that snow geese showed a moderate amount of nest-site fidelity and considerable individual variability in dispersal distance over consecutive nesting attempts. This variability can be partly accounted for by the annual timing of snowmelt. Despite this environmental constraint, habitat differences at the colony level consistently affected nesting success and settlement patterns. Females nesting in wetlands had higher nesting success than those nesting in mesic tundra. Moreover, geese responded adaptively to spatial heterogeneity by showing fidelity to their nesting habitat, independently of snowmelt pattern. From year to year, geese were more likely to move from mesic to high-quality wetland habitat, regardless of previous nesting success and without cost on their subsequent nesting performance. The unpredictability of snowmelt and the low cost of changing site apparently favour breeding-site dispersal although habitat quality promotes fidelity at the scale of habitat patches.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to G. Gauthier, the Arctic Goose Joint Venture (Canadian Wildlife Service), the Fonds Québécois pour la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec), ArcticNet, and the Northern Ecosystem Initiative (Environment Canada). Université Laval, the Centre d’Études Nordiques, the Société Provancher, the Fonds Richard Bernard and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development provided additional financial assistance to N. Lecomte. Logistic supports were generously provided by the Polar Continental Shelf Project (Natural Resources Canada). We thank all the people who participated in the fieldwork, especially J. Bêty, M.-C. Cadieux, A. Calvert, V. Careau, M.-H. Dickey, M.-A. Giroux, M. Graham-Sauvé, A. Hargreaves, J. Inootik, C. Juillet, J. Mainguy, O. Mathieu, M. Morissette, C. Mussely, N. Ouellet, G. Picard, V. Préfontaine, A. Reed, E. Reed, G. Szor. We are grateful to T. Boulinier, S. Côté, V. Careau, M.-A. Giroux, A. Reed, S. Robinson and R. Rockwell and for their comments on this manuscript and to Heather Bryan for proofreading. We are indebted to the Pond Inlet Hunter and Trapper Association (Nunavut Territory) and to Parks Canada for allowing us to work on Bylot Island. This is Polar Continental Shelf Project contribution no. 017–07.

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  1. Nicolas Lecomte

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, 9037, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Biologie and Centre d’Études Nordiques, Pavillon Vachon, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada, G1K 7P4

    Nicolas Lecomte & Gilles Gauthier

  2. Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Comportementale et Animale, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, PO Box 8888, Stn Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3C3P8

    Jean-François Giroux

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Correspondence to Nicolas Lecomte.

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Communicated by Scott Robinson.

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Lecomte, N., Gauthier, G. & Giroux, JF. Breeding dispersal in a heterogeneous landscape: the influence of habitat and nesting success in greater snow geese. Oecologia 155, 33–41 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0860-6

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