From the High Arctic to the Baltic: The Successful Establishment of a Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Population on Gotland, Sweden

The pattern of intraclutch egg-size variation in barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) clutches and its adaptive implications was studied in Svalbard, Norway, from 1989 to 1998. Egg size was measured in relation to laying sequence, egg predation and hatching order were recorded to determine hatching success of eggs in different laying sequences, and the time when incubation started was examined. Egg size showed a rather consistent pattern, with a large second-laid egg and declining egg size for the remainder of the clutch. The first-laid egg was usually smaller than the second one, except in clutches with two and three eggs. Predation was highest for the first-laid egg, and last-laid eggs hatched last in most cases, although only one last-laid egg was abandoned. Four of six females started incubation before clutch completion. Both the "nutrient-allocation hypothesis" as well as the "early incubation start hypothesis" may contribute to explaining the expressed pattern of intraclutch egg-size variation. The fitness gains due to allocating fewer nutrients to eggs in unfavourable positions in the laying sequence may explain the small size of the first egg, whereas the multiple benefits of an early incubation start may have led to the decline in egg size later in the laying sequence as a mechanism to counteract hatching asynchrony.

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Population Dynamics of the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis in the Baltic Area: Density-Dependent Effects on Reproduction

Journal of Animal Ecology ◽

10.2307/5272 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 954 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Kjell Larsson ◽

Par Forslund

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Barnacle Goose ◽

Area Density ◽

Density Dependent ◽

Branta Leucopsis ◽

The Baltic ◽

Baltic Area

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Environmentally induced morphological variation in the Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis

Journal of Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1046/j.1420-9101.1991.4040619.x ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 619-636 ◽

Cited By ~ 84

Author(s):

Kjell Larsson ◽

Par Forslund

Keyword(s):

Morphological Variation ◽

Barnacle Goose ◽

Branta Leucopsis

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Technical Note: A mobile sea-going mesocosm system – new opportunities for ocean change research

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-10-1835-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 1835-1847 ◽

Cited By ~ 123

Author(s):

U. Riebesell ◽

J. Czerny ◽

K. von Bröckel ◽

T. Boxhammer ◽

J. Büdenbender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ocean Acidification ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biogeochemical Cycling ◽

High Arctic ◽

Technical Note ◽

Plankton Community ◽

Small Scale ◽

Multiple Test ◽

The Baltic ◽

June July

Abstract. One of the great challenges in ocean change research is to understand and forecast the effects of environmental changes on pelagic communities and the associated impacts on biogeochemical cycling. Mesocosms, experimental enclosures designed to approximate natural conditions, and in which environmental factors can be manipulated and closely monitored, provide a powerful tool to close the gap between small-scale laboratory experiments and observational and correlative approaches applied in field surveys. Existing pelagic mesocosm systems are stationary and/or restricted to well-protected waters. To allow mesocosm experimentation in a range of hydrographic conditions and in areas considered most sensitive to ocean change, we developed a mobile sea-going mesocosm facility, the Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for Future Ocean Simulations (KOSMOS). The KOSMOS platform, which can be transported and deployed by mid-sized research vessels, is designed for operation in moored and free-floating mode under low to moderate wave conditions (up to 2.5 m wave heights). It encloses a water column 2 m in diameter and 15 to 25 m deep (∼50–75 m3 in volume) without disrupting the vertical structure or disturbing the enclosed plankton community. Several new developments in mesocosm design and operation were implemented to (i) minimize differences in starting conditions between mesocosms, (ii) allow for extended experimental duration, (iii) precisely determine the mesocosm volume, (iv) determine air–sea gas exchange, and (v) perform mass balance calculations. After multiple test runs in the Baltic Sea, which resulted in continuous improvement of the design and handling, the KOSMOS platform successfully completed its first full-scale experiment in the high Arctic off Svalbard (78°56.2′ N, 11°53.6′ E) in June/July 2010. The study, which was conducted in the framework of the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA), focused on the effects of ocean acidification on a natural plankton community and its impacts on biogeochemical cycling and air–sea exchange of climate-relevant gases. This manuscript describes the mesocosm hardware, its deployment and handling, CO2 manipulation, sampling and cleaning, including some further modifications conducted based on the experiences gained during this study.

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Technical Note: A mobile sea-going mesocosm system – new opportunities for ocean change research

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-9-12985-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 12985-13017 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

U. Riebesell ◽

J. Czerny ◽

K. von Bröckel ◽

T. Boxhammer ◽

J. Büdenbender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ocean Acidification ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biogeochemical Cycling ◽

Single Species ◽

High Arctic ◽

Technical Note ◽

Plankton Community ◽

Multiple Test ◽

The Baltic ◽

June July

Abstract. One of the great challenges in ocean change research is to understand and forecast the effects of environmental changes on pelagic communities and the associated impacts on biogeochemical cycling. Mesocosms, experimental enclosures designed to approximate natural conditions, and in which environmental factors can be manipulated and closely monitored, provide a powerful tool to close the gap between single species laboratory experiments and observational and correlative approaches applied in field surveys. Existing pelagic mesocosm systems are stationary and/or restricted to well-protected waters. To allow mesocosm experimentation in a range of hydrographic conditions and in areas considered most sensitive to ocean change, we developed a mobile, sea-going mesocosm facility, the Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for Future Ocean Simulations (KOSMOS). The KOSMOS platform, which can be transported and deployed by mid-sized research vessels, is designed for operation in moored and free-floating mode under low to moderate wave conditions (up to 2.5 m wave heights). It encloses a water column 2 m in diameter and 15 to 25 m deep (~50–75 m3 in volume) without disrupting the vertical structure or disturbing the enclosed plankton community. Several new developments in mesocosm design and operation were implemented to (i) minimize differences in starting conditions between mesocosms, (ii) allow for extended experimental duration, (iii) precisely determine the mesocosm volume, (iv) determine air–sea gas exchange, and (v) perform mass balance calculations. After multiple test runs in the Baltic Sea, which resulted in continuous improvement of the design and handling, the KOSMOS platform successfully completed its first full-scale experiment in the high Arctic off Svalbard (78° 56.2′ N, 11° 53.6′ E) in June/July 2010. The study, which was conducted in the framework of the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA), focused on the effects of ocean acidification on a natural plankton community and its impacts on biogeochemical cycling and air/sea exchange of climate relevant gases. This manuscript describes the mesocosm hardware, its deployment and handling, CO2 manipulation, sampling and cleaning, including some further modifications conducted based on the experiences gained during this study.

Download Full-text