The case of the blood-covered egg: ectoparasite abundance in an arctic goose colony

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 959-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. B. Harriman ◽  
R. T. Alisauskas ◽  
G. A. Wobeser
Keyword(s):  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Habitat Factors ◽  
Host Habitat ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
Chen Rossii ◽  
Suitable Index ◽  
Goose Eggs ◽  
Host Characteristics

Since 1991, blood-covered eggs have been noted in nests of Ross’s ( Chen rossii (Cassin, 1861)) and lesser snow ( Chen caerulescens caerulescens (L., 1758)) geese at the Karrak Lake colony, Nunavut, Canada. Fleas ( Ceratophyllus vagabundus vagabundus (Boheman, 1866)) were subsequently observed to be associated with goose nests containing eggs covered with dried blood. We examined prevalence of blood presence on goose eggs and extent of egg coverage with blood in goose nests from 2001 to 2004. Flea abundance in nests was estimated in 2003 and 2004, and was strongly correlated with the proportion of goose egg surface covered by blood, suggesting that degree of blood coverage was a suitable index of flea abundance. Extent of blood fluctuated annually and was correlated with both host characteristics and host habitat factors. Nest bowls used by geese in previous years contained more fleas than did new nest bowls, and fleas were more abundant in older areas of the colony. Flea abundance increased with goose clutch size and was highest in rock and birch habitats. Ceratophyllus vagabundus vagabundus appears to be a new parasite of geese at Karrak Lake; flea abundance may change in response to increased availability of favorable habitat, which is expected if local climate warms.

scholarly journals Lesser Snow Geese, Chen caerulescens caerulescens, and Ross's Geese, Chen rossii, of Jenny Lind Island, Nunavut

2008 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Richard H. Kerbes ◽  
Katherine M. Meeres ◽  
James E. Hines ◽  
David G. Kay
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Snow Goose ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Geese ◽  
Limited Food ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
Chen Rossii ◽  
Ross's Geese

We surveyed the Lesser Snow (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s geese (Chen rossii) of Jenny Lind Island, Nunavut, using aerial photography in June 1988, 1998, and 2006, and a visual helicopter transect survey in July 1990. The estimated number of nesting geese was 39 154 ± SE 2238 in 1988, 19 253 ± 2323 in 1998, and 21 572 ± 1898 in 2006. In 1988 an estimated 2.7% of the nesting geese were Ross’s. The July 1990 population of adult-plumaged birds was 25 020 ± 3114. The estimated percentage blue morph among Snow and Ross’s geese was 19.0% in 1988, 25.1% in 1989, 23.0% in 1990 and 21.1% in 2006. Estimated pre-fledged Snow Goose productivity was 47% young in 1989 and 46% in 1990. Combined numbers of Snow and Ross’s geese on Jenny Lind Island grew over 250 fold, from 210 adults in 1962-1966 to 54 100 adults in 1985. Numbers subsequently declined, to 42 200 in 1988, 25 000 in 1990, 20 300 in 1998, and 26 400 in 2006. Population decline between 1985 and 1990 was consistent with anecdotal reports by others that die-offs of Snow Geese occurred in 1984, 1985 and 1989, and with our August 1989 fieldwork which found evidence of habitat degradation and malnourishment of young geese. In spite of limited food resources on Jenny Lind Island, the colony continued to exist in 2006 at near its 1990 and 1998 levels. Further studies there could provide insights for management of the overabundant mid-continent Snow Goose population and its arctic habitats.

Egg size as a predictor of nutrient composition of eggs and neonates of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis interior) and Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon S Badzinski ◽  
C Davison Ankney ◽  
James O Leafloor ◽  
Kenneth F Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Nutrient Composition ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Organ Mass ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Geese ◽  
Branta Canadensis Interior ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
Goose Eggs

Fresh and pipped eggs were collected to provide data on nutrient composition of eggs and neonates, respectively, of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis interior) and Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens). We sought to determine how well a commonly used and simple index like estimated egg volume or "egg size" predicted egg composition and neonate characteristics including body composition, structural size, and digestive-organ mass. For both species, egg constituents were positively correlated with egg size, but relations for Canada Geese consistently had higher coefficients of determination than did those for Lesser Snow Geese. These differences suggest that there is more among-female variation in nutrient composition of Lesser Snow goose eggs relative to Canada Goose eggs. Most neonatal nutrient constituents were positively correlated with egg size in both species, but the relations between nutrient constituents and egg size were consistently stronger in Lesser Snow Geese than in Canada Geese. Several measures of structural size of neonates were positively correlated with egg size in both species, but egg size was a better predictor of neonate size for Lesser Snow Geese than for Canada Geese. Egg size was a relatively poor predictor of digestive-organ mass for both species. We hypothesize that the stronger relations between neonate quality and egg size in Lesser Snow Geese are a reflection of greater stabilizing selection for embryonic metabolic rates in species that nest at high latitudes and have a short incubation period. The fact that nutrient constituents of eggs were more strongly related to egg size than were the analogous constituents of neonates suggests that variation in metabolic rates of embryos limits the utility of egg size as an accurate and precise predictor of nutrient constituents in the two study species, but especially in Canada Geese.

scholarly journals Qanuq ukua kanguit sunialiqpitigu? (What should we do with all of these geese?) Collaborative research to support wildlife co-management and Inuit self-determination

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique A. Henri ◽  
Natalie A. Carter ◽  
Aupaa Irkok ◽  
Shelton Nipisar ◽  
Lenny Emiktaut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Habitat Alteration ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Chen Rossii ◽  
Inuit Knowledge ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
Participatory Research Methods

Inuit living in Nunavut have harvested light geese and lived near goose colonies for generations. Inuit knowledge includes important information about light goose ecology and management that can inform co-management and enhance scientific research and monitoring. Since the 1970s, populations of light geese (Snow and Ross’ Geese; kanguit and kangunnait in Inuktut; Chen caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) and Chen rossii (Cassin, 1861)) have experienced significant increases in abundance which led to habitat alteration in some portions of the central and eastern Canadian Arctic. In response to concerns expressed by Inuit and wildlife managers about light goose abundance, we conducted a collaborative research project in Arviat and Salliq (Coral Harbour), Nunavut, aiming to mobilize and document Inuit knowledge about light goose ecology and management in the Kivalliq region. Here, we explore the potential of collaborative research for mobilizing Inuit knowledge to support informed and inclusive decision-making about wildlife resources. First, we describe the participatory research methods employed to explore Inuit-identified management recommendations for light geese and engage co-management partners and research contributors to explore select management options. Then, we present these light goose management recommendations and options. Lastly, we discuss opportunities and challenges around the use of collaborative research to support wildlife co-management and Inuit self-determination. Inuit nunaqaqtut Nunavuumi angunasuksimalirmata kanguqpangnik kangurniglu nunaqarvingita sanianni araagunik unuqtunnik. Inuit qaujimaningat ilaqaqpuq aturnilingnik kanguit niqinginnik mianirijauninginniklu tusaumatitaulutik qaujisarningit mianiriyaunigillu. Taimangat 1970s atuqtilugit, kanguit unirningit (kanguit amma kanguaryuit Inuktut; Chen caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) amma Chen rossii (Cassin, 1861)) ayunganaqtukut pisimangmata unulialiqlutik amma niqiqatiarungnauqlutik Kanataup uqiuktaqtunngani. Tamana piblugu Inuit uumayuliriyillu isumaalulirmata kanguit unulualirninginnik, taima qaujisarnirmik pigialauqpugut Arvianni and Sallim (Coral Harbour), Nunavuumi, aulataulutik amma qaujisagaulutik Inuit kaujimajagit kangurnik Kivallirmi. Tavani atuqtuuluaqtunik qaujisarnirmut mianiqsinirmullu pitaqaqpuq Inuit nagminiq isumaliurlutik nirjutinut atugaksanullu. Sivullirmik, qaujisarniup qanuinninga isumagilugu kanguit mianirijauninginut. Amma suli, uqausirilirlugu kanguit mianirijauningat atugaujuuluaqtullu. Kingulirmik, uqausirilugu atuinnaujut amma ajurutaujut qaujisarniup iluanni nirjutinik amma Inuit nagminiq aulatuulualirninginnik.

Recruitment and Maternal Age in Lesser Snow Geese Chen caerulescens caerulescens

10.2307/4924 ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurene Ratcliffe ◽  
R. F. Rockwell ◽  
F. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Age ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Geese ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens

scholarly journals Are Lesser Snow Geese, Chen caerulescens caerulescens, Exceeding the Carrying Capacity of the Fraser River Delta's Brackish Marshes?

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike W. Demarchi
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Snow Goose ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Brackish Marshes ◽  
Fraser River Delta ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens

Brackish marshes of the Fraser River delta provide important habitats for such high-profile animals as White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), Pacific Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri), and Lesser Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens), the latter comprising the “Fraser-Skagit” segment of the Wrangel Island (Russia) population. This study assessed whether the current numbers of Snow Geese are exceeding the carrying capacity of brackish marshes in the Fraser River delta. Simulation modelling predicts that those marshes are presently capable of supporting ~17,500 Snow Geese—a value that is greatly exceeded by the numbers of geese that have over-wintered there in recent years (~80,000 in 2004-2005). The Pacific Flyway Council’s target 3-y average population and segment sizes of 120,000 and 50,000 - 70,000, respectively, were set without considering the carrying capacity of natural wintering habitats, the potential impacts of too many geese on upland agriculture, or implications for hazards to civilian aircraft at Vancouver International Airport. The modelled results of the present study suggest that the Fraser River delta can sustain the current numbers of Snow Geese that stage or winter there only if those birds also forage in agricultural and refuge fields—a relatively recent phenomenon that likely bolstered the Snow Goose population. Over-use by Snow Geese can degrade the productivity and habitat quality of marshes. There is documented evidence that some key plant species (e.g., Scirpus americanus) of the brackish marshes of the Fraser River delta are well below their biomass potential (~15%), primarily because of grubbing by Snow Geese. Other species that depend on this brackish environment as well as human interests in the Fraser River delta may be adversely affected by an overabundance of Snow Geese. The future effectiveness of hunting as a primary means of population regulation is questioned.

scholarly journals Hybridization and Population Subdivision Within and Between Ross's Geese and Lesser Snow Geese: A Molecular Perspective

The Condor ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. Weckstein ◽  
Alan D. Afton ◽  
Robert M. Zink ◽  
Ray T. Alisauskas
Keyword(s):  
Control Region ◽  
Mtdna Control Region ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Snow Goose ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Goose ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
Ross's Geese

AbstractWe reanalyzed Quinn's (1992) mtDNA control region data set including new sequences from nine Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and 10 Ross's Geese (Chen rossi) and found the same divergent lineages that Quinn (1992) attributed to vicariant separation of Lesser Snow Goose populations during the Pleistocene. However, peculiar patterns of mtDNA control region sequence variation, including a multimodal mismatch distribution of mtDNA sequences with two levels of population structuring and the sharing of two divergent haplotype lineages, are consistent with two hybridization episodes in Chen geese. Comparisons of mtDNA variation with historical and allozyme data sets compiled by Cooke et al. (1988) are consistent with the hypothesis that sharing of two mtDNA haplotype lineages between Ross's Goose and Lesser Snow Goose resulted from hybridization (Avise et al. 1992). Furthermore, population structure found within one haplotype cluster is consistent with Cooke et al.‘s (1988) hypothesis of past allopatry between blue and white Lesser Snow Geese.Hibridización y Subdivisión dentro y entre Poblaciones de Chen rossi y Chen caerulescens caerulescens: Una Perspectiva MolecularResumen. Reanalizamos los datos de la región de control del ADN mitocondrial (ADNmt) de Quinn (1992), junto con nuevas secuencias de nueve individuos de la especie Chen caerulescens caerulescens y 10 de Chen rossi. Encontramos los mismos linajes divergentes que Quinn (1992) atribuyó a la separación vicariante de las poblaciones de C. c. caerulescens durante el Pleistoceno. Sin embargo, encontramos que las dos especies comparten dos linajes de haplotipos divergentes, y la distribución de “mismatch” en secuencias del ADNmt mostró multimodalidad con dos niveles de estructuración de la población. Estos patrones peculiares están de acuerdo con la hipótesis de que hubo dos episodios de hibridización en gansos del género Chen. Los datos históricos y de aloenzimas compilados por Cooke et al. (1988) también apoyan esta hipótesis (Avise et al. 1992). Además, la estructura de la población dentro de un grupo de haplotipos es consistente con la hipótesis de Cooke et al. (1988) acerca de la pasada alopatría entre los morfos azul y blanco de C. c. caerulescens.

scholarly journals Do geese fully develop brood patches? A histological analysis of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s geese (C. rossii)

2006 ◽  
Vol 176 (5) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jón Einar Jónsson ◽  
Alan D. Afton ◽  
Dominique G. Homberger ◽  
William G. Henk ◽  
Ray T. Alisauskas
Keyword(s):  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Lesser Snow Geese ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
Ross's Geese

scholarly journals Mass dynamics of the spleen and other organs in geese: measures of immune relationships to helminths?

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Shutler ◽  
Ray T Alisauskas ◽  
J Dan McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Large Intestine ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Weak Support ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Caerulescens ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Spleen Mass

The spleen is an important organ of avian immune systems. We examined whether helminth loads were related to spleen mass in the lesser snow goose, Chen caerulescens caerulescens. On 27 collecting occasions, 744 geese were obtained at 13 different locations in a south-north gradient in midcontinental North America. The masses of the spleen, caecum, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas, heart, and crop of all geese were determined, and intestinal and caecal helminths were counted. Seventy-eight percent of geese harbored at least one helminth species. For analyses, helminths were grouped as cestodes (26% prevalence), trematodes (19% prevalence), and nematodes (70% prevalence). After sample location and time, host age, host sex, and host body size were controlled for in a multivariate analysis of covariance, nematodes were the only helminth group associated with variation in organ masses. Greater nematode loads were weakly associated with lower spleen, higher caecum, lower large intestine, and lower heart masses. When uninfected individuals were excluded from the analysis, greater nematode loads were no longer associated with variation in spleen size but were associated with higher crop mass, and greater cestode loads were associated with higher heart mass. In neither of these analyses were any other cestode-organ or trematode-organ associations significant. Geese carrying two or more helminth groups had lower spleen masses than did geese infected with no or one helminth group. When we interchanged response and explanatory variables from the preceding analyses and retained the same covariates, the same organ mass - helminth associations tended to remain significant. Nonetheless, the small variation in helminth loads explained by variation in spleen mass (or vice versa) provided only weak support for the hypothesis that intraspecifically, wild individuals with lower investment in immunity are more susceptible to nematode infections.

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