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Maarten J J E Loonen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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density dependent population dynamics of a high arctic capital breeder the Barnacle Goose
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2019Co-Authors: Kate Laytonmatthews, Maarten J J E Loonen, Brage Bremset Hansen, Christophe Coste, Bernterik Saether, Vidar GrotanAbstract:Density regulation of the population growth rate occurs through negative feedbacks on underlying vital rates, in response to increasing population size. Here, we examine in a capital breeder how vital rates of different life-history stages, their elasticities and population growth rates are affected by changes in population size. We developed an integrated population model for a local population of Svalbard Barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, using counts, reproductive data and individual-based mark-recapture data (1990-2017) to model age class-specific survival, reproduction and number of individuals. Based on these estimates, we quantified the changes in demographic structure and the effect of population size on age class-specific vital rates and elasticities, as well as the population growth rate. Local density regulation at the breeding grounds acted to reduce population growth through negative effects on reproduction; however, population size could not explain substantial variation in survival rates, although there was some support for density-dependent first-year survival. With the use of prospective perturbation analysis of the density-dependent projection matrix, we show that the elasticities to different vital rates changed as population size increased. As population size approached carrying capacity, the influence of reproductive rates and early-life survival on the population growth rate was reduced, whereas the influence of adult survival increased. A retrospective perturbation analysis revealed that density dependence resulted in a positive contribution of reproductive rates, and a negative contribution of the numbers of individuals in the adult age class, to the realised population growth rate. The patterns of density dependence in this population of Barnacle geese were different from those recorded in income breeding birds, where density regulation mainly occurs through an effect on early-life survival. This indicates that the population dynamics of capital breeders, such as the Barnacle Goose, are likely to be more reproduction-driven than is the case for income breeders.
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The development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis. PLoS One 2012
2016Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Maarten J J E Loonen, Qiong Zhang, R P M A Crooijmans, M A M Groenen, H H T Prins, Pim Van Hooft, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Robert H. S. KrausAbstract:Migratory birds are of particular interest for population genetics because of the high connectivity between habitats and populations. A high degree of connectivity requires using many genetic markers to achieve the required statistical power, and a genome wide SNP set can fit this purpose. Here we present the development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, a model species for the study of bird migration. We used the genome of a different waterfowl species, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, as a reference to align Barnacle Goose second generation sequence reads from an RRL library and detected 2188 SNPs genome wide. Furthermore, we used chimeric flanking sequences, merged from both Mallard and Barnacle Goose DNA sequence information, to create primers for validation by genotyping. Validation with a 384 SNP genotyping set resulted in 374 (97%) successfully typed SNPs in the assay, of which 358 (96%) were polymorphic. Additionally, we validated our SNPs on relatively old (30 years) museum samples, which resulted in a success rate of at least 80%. This shows that museum samples could be used in standard SNP genotyping assays. Our study also shows that the genome of a related species can be used as reference to detect genome wide SNPs in birds, because genomes of birds are highly conserved. This is illustrated by the use of chimeric flanking sequences, which showed that the incorporation of flanking nucleotides from Mallard into Barnacle Goose sequences lead to equal genotyping performanc
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baseline immune activity is associated with date rather than with moult stage in the arctic breeding Barnacle Goose branta leucopsis
PLOS ONE, 2014Co-Authors: Cecilia Sandstrom, Henk P Van Der Jeugd, Jouke Prop, Maarten J J E LoonenAbstract:Variation in immune defence in birds is often explained either by external factors such as food availability and disease pressure or by internal factors such as moult and reproductive effort. We explored these factors together in one sampling design by measuring immune activity over the time frame of the moulting period of Arctic-breeding Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis). We assessed baseline innate immunity by measuring levels of complement-mediated lysis and natural antibody-mediated agglutination together with total and differential leukocyte counts. Variation in immune activity during moult was strongly associated with calendar date and to a smaller degree with the growth stage of wing feathers. We suggest that the association with calendar date reflected temporal changes in the external environment. This environmental factor was further explored by comparing the immune activity of geese in the Arctic population with conspecifics in the temperate climate zone at comparable moult stages. In the Arctic environment, which has a lower expected disease load, geese exhibited significantly lower values of complement-mediated lysis, their blood contained fewer leukocytes, and levels of phagocytic cells and reactive leukocytes were relatively low. This suggests that lower baseline immune activity could be associated with lower disease pressure. We conclude that in our study species, external factors such as food availability and disease pressure have a greater effect on temporal variation of baseline immune activity than internal factors such as moult stage.
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the development of a genome wide snp set for the Barnacle Goose branta leucopsis
PLOS ONE, 2012Co-Authors: Maarten J J E Loonen, Rudy M Jonker, Qiong Zhang, Pim Van Hooft, Henk P Van Der Jeugd, R P M A Crooijmans, M A M Groenen, H H T PrinsAbstract:Migratory birds are of particular interest for population genetics because of the high connectivity between habitats and populations. A high degree of connectivity requires using many genetic markers to achieve the required statistical power, and a genome wide SNP set can fit this purpose. Here we present the development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, a model species for the study of bird migration. We used the genome of a different waterfowl species, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, as a reference to align Barnacle Goose second generation sequence reads from an RRL library and detected 2188 SNPs genome wide. Furthermore, we used chimeric flanking sequences, merged from both Mallard and Barnacle Goose DNA sequence information, to create primers for validation by genotyping. Validation with a 384 SNP genotyping set resulted in 374 (97%) successfully typed SNPs in the assay, of which 358 (96%) were polymorphic. Additionally, we validated our SNPs on relatively old (30 years) museum samples, which resulted in a success rate of at least 80%. This shows that museum samples could be used in standard SNP genotyping assays. Our study also shows that the genome of a related species can be used as reference to detect genome wide SNPs in birds, because genomes of birds are highly conserved. This is illustrated by the use of chimeric flanking sequences, which showed that the incorporation of flanking nucleotides from Mallard into Barnacle Goose sequences lead to equal genotyping performance when compared to flanking sequences solely composed of Barnacle Goose sequence.
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bryophyte dna sequences from faeces of an arctic herbivore Barnacle Goose branta leucopsis
Molecular Ecology Resources, 2011Co-Authors: Michael Stech, E Kolvoort, Maarten J J E Loonen, Klaas Vrieling, J D KruijerAbstract:We tested DNA extraction methods and PCR conditions for the amplification of bryophyte DNA from Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) faeces collected from Spitsbergen (Svalbard). Both the Qiagen stool kit and a silica-based extraction method received sufficient DNA from fresh and older droppings, as indicated by successful amplification of the plastid psbA-trnH spacer. Standard Taq polymerase outperformed two hot start polymerases. Sequencing of cloned PCR products revealed at least ten moss and two angiosperm sequences. This first example of identifying bryophyte DNA from faeces will allow analysing moss diets of arctic herbivores with a DNA barcoding approach.
Kjell Larsson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Breeding range expansion of the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis in the Baltic area
Ardea, 2014Co-Authors: Pär Forslund, Kjell LarssonAbstract:We describe the development of Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis breeding colonies in the Baltic area. The largest colony is situated on the eastern coast of Gotland. Sweden, and consisted in 1988 of 970 breeding pairs. Breeding birds have also been observed in nine other Baltic localities within the 1980s. Differences in reproductive success at different localities suggest that density-dependent effects are important. Young nonbreeding geese frequently move between colonies during the summer. Intraspecific competition may increase the propensity for natal dispersal by geese from the main colony on Gotland
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genetic consequences of breaking migratory traditions in Barnacle geese branta leucopsis
Molecular Ecology, 2013Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Kjell Larsson, Qiong Zhang, Robert H. S. Kraus, P Van Hooft, H P Van Der Jeugd, Ralf H J M KurversAbstract:Cultural transmission of migratory traditions enables species to deal with their environment based on experiences from earlier generations. Also, it allows a more adequate and rapid response to rapidly changing environments. When individuals break with their migratory traditions, new population structures can emerge that may affect gene flow. Recently, the migratory traditions of the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis changed, and new populations differing in migratory distance emerged. Here, we investigate the population genetic structure of the Barnacle Goose to evaluate the consequences of altered migratory traditions. We used a set of 358 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to genotype 418 individuals from breeding populations in Greenland, Spitsbergen, Russia, Sweden and the Netherlands, the latter two being newly emerged populations. We used discriminant analysis of principal components, FST, linkage disequilibrium and a comparison of geneflow models using MIGRATE-N to show that there is significant population structure, but that relatively many pairs of SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium, suggesting recent admixture between these populations. Despite the assumed traditions of migration within populations, we also show that genetic exchange occurs between all populations. The newly established nonmigratory population in the Netherlands is characterized by high emigration into other populations, which suggests more exploratory behaviour, possibly as a result of shortened parental care. These results suggest that migratory traditions in populations are subject to change in geese and that such changes have population genetic consequences. We argue that the emergence of nonmigration probably resulted from developmental plasticity.
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telomere dynamics in a long lived bird the Barnacle Goose
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2012Co-Authors: Angela Pauliny, Kjell Larsson, Donald BlomqvistAbstract:Background Theories of ageing predict a trade-off between metabolism, reproduction, and maintenance. Species with low investment in early reproduction are thus expected to be able to evolve more efficient maintenance and repair mechanisms, allowing for a longer potential life span (intrinsic longevity). The erosion of telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of linear chromosomes, plays an important role in cellular and organismal senescence, signalling the onset of age-related disease due to accumulation of unrepaired somatic damage. Using extensive longitudinal data from a long-term study of a natural population of Barnacle geese Branta leucopsis, we investigated individual rates of telomere length changes over two years in 34 birds between 0 and 22 years of age, covering almost 80% of the species’ lifespan.
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Ecological and quantitative genetic processes in a population of the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
2010Co-Authors: Kjell LarssonAbstract:Ecological and quantitative genetic processes in a population of the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
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colony kin structure and host parasite relatedness in the Barnacle Goose
Molecular Ecology, 2009Co-Authors: Sofia Anderholm, Kjell Larsson, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Peter Waldeck, Rupert C Marshall, Malte AnderssonAbstract:Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), females laying eggs in the nest of other 'host' females of the same species, is a common alternative reproductive tactic among birds. For hosts there are likely costs of incubating and rearing foreign offspring, but costs may be low in species with precocial chicks such as waterfowl, among which CBP is common. Waterfowl show strong female natal philopatry, and spatial relatedness among females may influence the evolution of CBP. Here we investigate fine-scale kin structure in a Baltic colony of Barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, estimating female spatial relatedness using protein fingerprints of egg albumen, and testing the performance of this estimator in known mother-daughter pairs. Relatedness was significantly higher between neighbour females (nesting < or = 40 metres from each other) than between females nesting farther apart, but there was no further distance trend in relatedness. This pattern may be explained by earlier observations of females nesting close to their mother or brood sisters, even when far from the birth nest. Hosts and parasites were on average not more closely related than neighbour females. In 25 of 35 sampled parasitized nests, parasitic eggs were laid after the host female finished laying, too late to develop and hatch. Timely parasites, laying eggs in the host's laying sequence, had similar relatedness to hosts as that between neighbours. Females laying late parasitic eggs tended to be less related to the host, but not significantly so. Our results suggest that CBP in Barnacle geese might represent different tactical life-history responses.
Pär Forslund - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Breeding range expansion of the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis in the Baltic area
Ardea, 2014Co-Authors: Pär Forslund, Kjell LarssonAbstract:We describe the development of Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis breeding colonies in the Baltic area. The largest colony is situated on the eastern coast of Gotland. Sweden, and consisted in 1988 of 970 breeding pairs. Breeding birds have also been observed in nine other Baltic localities within the 1980s. Differences in reproductive success at different localities suggest that density-dependent effects are important. Young nonbreeding geese frequently move between colonies during the summer. Intraspecific competition may increase the propensity for natal dispersal by geese from the main colony on Gotland
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Effects of reproductive tactics and population density on breeding success in the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
2010Co-Authors: Pär ForslundAbstract:Effects of reproductive tactics and population density on breeding success in the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
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body size declines despite positive directional selection on heritable size traits in a Barnacle Goose population
Evolution, 1998Co-Authors: Kjell Larsson, Henk P Van Der Jeugd, Ineke T Van Der Veen, Pär ForslundAbstract:Analyses of more than 2000 marked Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) in the largest Baltic colony, Sweden, showed that structurally large females generally produced larger clutches and larger eggs, hatched their broods earlier in the season, and produced more and heavier young than smaller females. In males, the corresponding relationships between reproductive parameters and structural body size were weaker or nonsignificant. Because structural body size traits have previously been found to be significantly heritable and positively genetically correlated, an increase in mean structural body size of individuals as a response to selection might have been expected. By contrast, we found that the mean adult head length and mean adult tarsus length decreased significantly in the largest colony by ap- proximately 0.7 and 0.5 standard deviations, respectively, in both males and females during the 13-year study period. Environmental factors, such as the amount of rain in different years, were found to affect the availability of high- quality food for growing geese. As a consequence of this temporal variability in the availability of high-quality food, the mean adult structural body size of different cohorts differed by up to 1.3 standard deviations. Comparisons of mean body size of cohorts born in different colonies suggest that the most likely explanation for the body-size decline in the main study colony is that a density-dependent process, which mainly was in effect during the very early phase of colony growth, negatively affected juvenile growth and final size. We conclude that large environmental effects on growth and final structural body size easily can mask microevolutionary responses to selection. Analyses of environmental causes underlying temporal and spatial body size variation should always be considered in the recon- struction and prediction of evolutionary changes in natural populations.
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intraspecific nest parasitism in the Barnacle Goose behavioural tactics of parasites and hosts
Animal Behaviour, 1995Co-Authors: Pär Forslund, Kjell LarssonAbstract:Intraspecific nest parasitism in the Barnacle Goose,Branta leucopsis, was recorded by direct observations of females trying to lay eggs in the nests of other females. This was observed on 36 occasions. Parasitic egg-laying attempts were observed both in mornings and evenings, and lasted on average at least 20 min. Parasitic females approached host nests very fast and immediately sat down on or close to the nest. Host females attacked parasitic females intensively, but host males were much less aggressive. Males paired to the parasitic females were sometimes seen, but they never took any active part in the parasitic egg-laying attempts. Parasitic females probably successfully laid an egg most of the times, as the clutch size in host nests was on average 0·9 eggs larger than in nests where parasitic egg-laying attempts were not observed. Host females were observed to retrieve eggs laid outside the nest cup. Of 27 known cases, parasitic females made their egg-laying attempts before or at the host's start of incubation on 12 occasions, and after the start of incubation 15 times. It is suggested that parasitic females exploited features in the behaviour of potential hosts, such as egg retrieval and low aggressiveness in host males, to succeed in their egg-laying attempts. Nest parasitism seems to be a facultative, ‘best-of-a-bad-job’ tactic in Barnacle geese, as parasitic females were observed to have nests of their own before or after the year they behaved parasitically, but never in that particular year.
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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, 1994Co-Authors: Kjell Larsson, Pär ForslundAbstract:1. The three largest breeding colonies of Barnacle geese Branta leucopsis in the Baltic area were studied from their natural establishments in 1971, 1982 and 1987, respectively, to 1993. The number of breeding pairs increased from one pair in 1971 to 1550, 225 and 150 pairs in the largest, second largest, and third largest colonies, respectively, in 1993. 2. Data on clutch size and number of hatched and fledged young were collected from the beginning or the middle of the 1980s. In the largest colony most data on reproductive success were obtained from observations of individually marked geese. 3. Mean clutch size differed among years and colonies. However, there was no trend for decreasing mean clutch size with increasing density in any of the colonies. Hatching success did not decrease with increasing density in the largest colony. 4. The production of fledged young per breeding pair declined drastically in the largest colony as numbers of breeding pairs rose. This decline was mainly caused by an increasing proportion of the breeding pairs failing to produce any fledged young at all. 5. The relative contribution of the smaller colonies to the total production of fledged young in the Baltic area increased considerably over the study years. In 1993, colony 2 hosted only about 13% of the number of breeding pairs in colonies 1 and 2 combined, but it produced about 38% of the fledged young. 6. Our results point out the need to study populations of colonially nesting geese on a colony by colony basis in order to detect density-dependent effects on reproduction.
Rudy M Jonker - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis. PLoS One 2012
2016Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Maarten J J E Loonen, Qiong Zhang, R P M A Crooijmans, M A M Groenen, H H T Prins, Pim Van Hooft, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Robert H. S. KrausAbstract:Migratory birds are of particular interest for population genetics because of the high connectivity between habitats and populations. A high degree of connectivity requires using many genetic markers to achieve the required statistical power, and a genome wide SNP set can fit this purpose. Here we present the development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, a model species for the study of bird migration. We used the genome of a different waterfowl species, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, as a reference to align Barnacle Goose second generation sequence reads from an RRL library and detected 2188 SNPs genome wide. Furthermore, we used chimeric flanking sequences, merged from both Mallard and Barnacle Goose DNA sequence information, to create primers for validation by genotyping. Validation with a 384 SNP genotyping set resulted in 374 (97%) successfully typed SNPs in the assay, of which 358 (96%) were polymorphic. Additionally, we validated our SNPs on relatively old (30 years) museum samples, which resulted in a success rate of at least 80%. This shows that museum samples could be used in standard SNP genotyping assays. Our study also shows that the genome of a related species can be used as reference to detect genome wide SNPs in birds, because genomes of birds are highly conserved. This is illustrated by the use of chimeric flanking sequences, which showed that the incorporation of flanking nucleotides from Mallard into Barnacle Goose sequences lead to equal genotyping performanc
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genetic consequences of breaking migratory traditions in Barnacle geese branta leucopsis
Molecular Ecology, 2013Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Kjell Larsson, Qiong Zhang, Robert H. S. Kraus, P Van Hooft, H P Van Der Jeugd, Ralf H J M KurversAbstract:Cultural transmission of migratory traditions enables species to deal with their environment based on experiences from earlier generations. Also, it allows a more adequate and rapid response to rapidly changing environments. When individuals break with their migratory traditions, new population structures can emerge that may affect gene flow. Recently, the migratory traditions of the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis changed, and new populations differing in migratory distance emerged. Here, we investigate the population genetic structure of the Barnacle Goose to evaluate the consequences of altered migratory traditions. We used a set of 358 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to genotype 418 individuals from breeding populations in Greenland, Spitsbergen, Russia, Sweden and the Netherlands, the latter two being newly emerged populations. We used discriminant analysis of principal components, FST, linkage disequilibrium and a comparison of geneflow models using MIGRATE-N to show that there is significant population structure, but that relatively many pairs of SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium, suggesting recent admixture between these populations. Despite the assumed traditions of migration within populations, we also show that genetic exchange occurs between all populations. The newly established nonmigratory population in the Netherlands is characterized by high emigration into other populations, which suggests more exploratory behaviour, possibly as a result of shortened parental care. These results suggest that migratory traditions in populations are subject to change in geese and that such changes have population genetic consequences. We argue that the emergence of nonmigration probably resulted from developmental plasticity.
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the development of a genome wide snp set for the Barnacle Goose branta leucopsis
PLOS ONE, 2012Co-Authors: Maarten J J E Loonen, Rudy M Jonker, Qiong Zhang, Pim Van Hooft, Henk P Van Der Jeugd, R P M A Crooijmans, M A M Groenen, H H T PrinsAbstract:Migratory birds are of particular interest for population genetics because of the high connectivity between habitats and populations. A high degree of connectivity requires using many genetic markers to achieve the required statistical power, and a genome wide SNP set can fit this purpose. Here we present the development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, a model species for the study of bird migration. We used the genome of a different waterfowl species, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, as a reference to align Barnacle Goose second generation sequence reads from an RRL library and detected 2188 SNPs genome wide. Furthermore, we used chimeric flanking sequences, merged from both Mallard and Barnacle Goose DNA sequence information, to create primers for validation by genotyping. Validation with a 384 SNP genotyping set resulted in 374 (97%) successfully typed SNPs in the assay, of which 358 (96%) were polymorphic. Additionally, we validated our SNPs on relatively old (30 years) museum samples, which resulted in a success rate of at least 80%. This shows that museum samples could be used in standard SNP genotyping assays. Our study also shows that the genome of a related species can be used as reference to detect genome wide SNPs in birds, because genomes of birds are highly conserved. This is illustrated by the use of chimeric flanking sequences, which showed that the incorporation of flanking nucleotides from Mallard into Barnacle Goose sequences lead to equal genotyping performance when compared to flanking sequences solely composed of Barnacle Goose sequence.
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Predation danger can explain changes in timing of migration: the case of the Barnacle Goose.
PLoS ONE, 2010Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Götz Eichhorn, Frank Van Langevelde, Silke BauerAbstract:Understanding stopover decisions of long-distance migratory birds is crucial for conservation and management of these species along their migratory flyway. Recently, an increasing number of Barnacle geese breeding in the Russian Arctic have delayed their departure from their wintering site in The Netherlands by approximately one month and have reduced their staging duration at stopover sites in the Baltic accordingly. Consequently, this extended stay increases agricultural damage in The Netherlands. Using a dynamic state variable approach we explored three hypotheses about the underlying causes of these changes in migratory behavior, possibly related to changes in (i) onset of spring, (ii) potential intake rates and (iii) predation danger at wintering and stopover sites. Our simulations showed that the observed advance in onset of spring contradicts the observed delay of departure, whereas both increased predation danger and decreased intake rates in the Baltic can explain the delay. Decreased intake rates are expected as a result of increased competition for food in the growing Barnacle Goose population. However, the effect of predation danger in the model was particularly strong, and we hypothesize that Barnacle geese avoid Baltic stopover sites as a response to the rapidly increasing number of avian predators in the area. Therefore, danger should be considered as an important factor influencing Barnacle Goose migratory behavior, and receive more attention in empirical studies.
Henk P. Van Der Jeugd - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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circadian and seasonal patterns of body temperature in arctic migratory and temperate non migratory geese
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021Co-Authors: Götz Eichhorn, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Michiel P. Boom, Amerins Mulder, Martin Wikelski, Shane K. Maloney, Grace H GohAbstract:Arctic migration presents unique challenges to circadian physiology. In addition to the metabolic cost of maintaining a relatively high body temperature (Tb) above ambient temperature, migratory birds are also exposed to rapidly changing light conditions as they transition between light-dark cycles and a 24-hour polar day. A previous study suggested that Arctic-migratory Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) may utilise adaptive heterothermy (i.e., a controlled decrease in core Tb) during and around the autumn migratory period in order to minimise the metabolic cost of migration, but the impact of seasonally changing daylight conditions on other parameters of the circadian profile of Tb in these geese remained obscure. Here, we provide a detailed comparative analysis on the circadian rhythm of Tb and its seasonal development in free-living Barnacle geese from three study populations that differ in their migratory behaviour and in the environments they occupy. We recorded abdominal Tb in non-migratory geese from a temperate breeding colony in the Netherlands and in migratory geese from a colony in the Russian low Arctic, and analysed these data together with previously published Tb data on geese from a migratory colony in the high Arctic of Svalbard. We found that the circadian Tb profile in the Barnacle Goose was well aligned with the daily and seasonally changing daylight conditions. In the migratory populations, a fast re-entrainment of the rhythm and its phase was observed when zeitgeber conditions changed during migratory movements. The circadian rhythmicity of Tb was lost once the geese encountered permanent daylight at their northern staging and breeding sites. Circadian Tb rhythmicity was re-established when the period of permanent daylight ended, at rates corresponding to rates of seasonal changes in daylength in the high and low Arctic. Although our data corroborated findings of a decrease in daily mean Tb before autumn migration in both migratory populations in this study, the pre-migratory decrease in Tb was less drastic than previously reported. Moreover, in contrast to previous study, the decrease in Tb stopped at the onset of migration. Overall, our data reveal no evidence that heterothermy in the Barnacle Goose is functionally linked to migration.
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Circadian and Seasonal Patterns of Body Temperature in Arctic Migratory and Temperate Non-migratory Geese
'Frontiers Media SA', 2021Co-Authors: Götz Eichhorn, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Michiel P. Boom, Amerins Mulder, Martin Wikelski, Shane K. MaloneyAbstract:Arctic migration presents unique challenges to circadian physiology. In addition to the metabolic cost of maintaining a relatively high body temperature (Tb) above ambient temperature, migratory birds are also exposed to rapidly changing light conditions as they transition between light-dark cycles and a 24-hour polar day. A previous study suggested that Arctic-migratory Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) may utilise adaptive heterothermy (i.e., a controlled decrease in core Tb) during and around the autumn migratory period in order to minimise the metabolic cost of migration, but the impact of seasonally changing daylight conditions on other parameters of the circadian profile of Tb in these geese remained obscure. Here, we provide a detailed comparative analysis on the circadian rhythm of Tb and its seasonal development in free-living Barnacle geese from three study populations that differ in their migratory behaviour and in the environments they occupy. We recorded abdominal Tb in non-migratory geese from a temperate breeding colony in Netherlands and in migratory geese from a colony in the Russian low Arctic, and analysed these data together with previously published Tb data on geese from a migratory colony in the high Arctic of Svalbard. We found that the circadian Tb profile in the Barnacle Goose was well aligned with the daily and seasonally changing daylight conditions. In the migratory populations, a fast re-entrainment of the rhythm and its phase was observed when zeitgeber conditions changed during migratory movements. The circadian rhythmicity of Tb was lost once the geese encountered permanent daylight at their northern staging and breeding sites. Circadian Tb rhythmicity was re-established when the period of permanent daylight ended, at rates corresponding to rates of seasonal changes in daylength in the high and low Arctic. Although our data corroborated findings of a decrease in daily mean Tb before autumn migration in both migratory populations in this study, the pre-migratory decrease in Tb was less drastic than previously reported. Moreover, in contrast to previous study, the decrease in Tb stopped at the onset of migration. Overall, our data reveal no evidence that heterothermy in the Barnacle Goose is functionally linked to migration
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phenotype matching?
2016Co-Authors: Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Kjell LarssondAbstract:We investigated the settling pattern of Barnacle geese Branta leucopsis that returned to breed in their natal colony. Females nested close to their parents and sisters, but settling of males conformed to a random pattern. The apparent preference for breeding close to kin in females could be a by-product of extreme philopatry to the natal nest site. However, sisters also nested close to each other when settling on a different island than the one where their parents bred, pointing at a genuine preference for breeding close to kin. Females only nested close to sisters born in the same year (i.e., sisters that they had been in close contact with). This suggests that the clustering of female kin in Barnacle geese does not result from phenotype matching. We did not detect any direct benefits of settling close to birth site or kin, but the analyses lacked power to detect small benefits of proximity to kin given the many other factors that may influence breeding success. Colonially breeding birds share characteristics that are generally believed to promote the evolution of cooperation, yet kin clustering and kin selection have been little studied in this group. Future research should be directed to studying the possible roles of kin clustering and kin selection in the evolution of coloniality. Key words: Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis, coloniality, cooperation, kin selection, phenotype matching
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The development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis. PLoS One 2012
2016Co-Authors: Rudy M Jonker, Maarten J J E Loonen, Qiong Zhang, R P M A Crooijmans, M A M Groenen, H H T Prins, Pim Van Hooft, Henk P. Van Der Jeugd, Robert H. S. KrausAbstract:Migratory birds are of particular interest for population genetics because of the high connectivity between habitats and populations. A high degree of connectivity requires using many genetic markers to achieve the required statistical power, and a genome wide SNP set can fit this purpose. Here we present the development of a genome wide SNP set for the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, a model species for the study of bird migration. We used the genome of a different waterfowl species, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, as a reference to align Barnacle Goose second generation sequence reads from an RRL library and detected 2188 SNPs genome wide. Furthermore, we used chimeric flanking sequences, merged from both Mallard and Barnacle Goose DNA sequence information, to create primers for validation by genotyping. Validation with a 384 SNP genotyping set resulted in 374 (97%) successfully typed SNPs in the assay, of which 358 (96%) were polymorphic. Additionally, we validated our SNPs on relatively old (30 years) museum samples, which resulted in a success rate of at least 80%. This shows that museum samples could be used in standard SNP genotyping assays. Our study also shows that the genome of a related species can be used as reference to detect genome wide SNPs in birds, because genomes of birds are highly conserved. This is illustrated by the use of chimeric flanking sequences, which showed that the incorporation of flanking nucleotides from Mallard into Barnacle Goose sequences lead to equal genotyping performanc
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survival and dispersal in a newly founded temperate Barnacle Goose branta leucopsis population
Wildfowl, 2013Co-Authors: Henk P. Van Der JeugdAbstract:Survival rates and dispersal were studied in a newly-founded temperate Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis population in the Netherlands using marked individuals. Birds were ringed at three localities: two in the Delta area in the southwest of the Netherlands and one in Fryslân in the north. Annual survival decreased during 2004–2012 from c. 95% to c. 75%, probably due to an increase in hunting pressure introduced to reduce the size of the population and its damage to agricultural crops. A decrease in survival should lead to a decline in numbers in the population, but this was not apparent from the summer counts. Natal dispersal was high: 56% of males attempted to breed > 10 km from their natal site, and 38% at > 100 km from their natal area. In females, these figures were 30% and 24%, respectively. A substantial number of male Barnacle Geese most probably emigrate to the large population that breeds along the shores of the Barents Sea, and the Dutch Barnacle Goose population currently is a source, from which restocking of the Barent’s Sea population takes place. Breeding dispersal was low. Disturbance of colonies may influence dispersal as birds from one colony disturbed by foxes showed remarkably high natal and breeding dispersal.