| 1. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Colony kin structure and host-parasite relatedness in the barnacle goose
- 2009
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - Oxford : Blackwell Science. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 18:23, s. 4955-4963
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 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 ≤ 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.
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| 2. |
- Larsson, Kjell
(författare)
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Dynamic route planning in the Baltic Sea : How can the negative impacts of maritime traffic on sensitive or protected areas be reduced?
- 2012
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dynamic routing means that ships to a greater extent than today are assigned individual routes based on the traffic situation, weather and other prevailing conditions. Dynamic route planning, in addition to reducing the risk of accidents and ship fuel consumption will also, if used correctly, significantly diminish the adverse impact of shipping on the marine conservation values of sensitive or protected areas. An active and dynamic route planning that takes into account sensitive natural environments in the Baltic Sea is also a way for the shipping industry and shipping administration to interact with the marine spatial planning process necessary to achieve an improved marine environment in accordance with Sweden's environmental objectives, the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Baltic Sea Action Plan and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and Maritime Policy. The environmental impact of shipping can be measured on different spatial and temporal scales. The impact of CO2 emissions from shipping on the atmosphere is global, while other types of emissions to air and water may have well-defined regional or local effects. The effects on the marine environment can be direct or indirect, prolonged or short-lived. The environmental effects of shipping may also interact with the environmental effects brought about by other activities. Additionally the effect of a given discharge or emission on the marine environment is not only dependent on the size of the discharge or emission, but also to a great extent on where and when they take place. Dynamic route planning means that trade-offs must be made between different factors. These trade-offs must be part of a holistic approach and rest on a sound factual basis. Decision makers will be faced with situations where they are forced to make a choice between avoiding the risk of direct negative effects on habitats, species and biodiversity and avoiding additional emissions to air. The outcomes of such trade-offs will vary in different areas of the Baltic Sea and at different seasons. Dynamic route planning must be adaptive, i.e., the parties involved must be aware that conservation values, natural resources and the maritime fleet in the Baltic Sea are subject to change and adapt planning to cope with these changes. We now have enough knowledge to start using dynamic route planning to reduce the direct adverse effects of shipping on the marine conservation values of sensitive or protected areas. However, if planning is to be effective and trade-offs between different factors and interests more accurate we need to add to our knowledge.
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| 3. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Keeping up with early springs : rapid range expansion in an avian herbivore incurs a mismatch between reproductive timing and food supply
- 2009
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - Oxford : Blackwell Scientific. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 15:5, s. 1057-1071
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Within three decades, the barnacle goose population wintering on the European mainland has dramatically increased in numbers and extended its breeding range. The expansion has occurred both within the Arctic as well as by the colonization of temperate areas. Studies of performance of individuals in expanding populations provide information on how well species can adapt to novel environments and global warming. We, therefore, studied the availability of high quality food as well as timing of reproduction, wing moult, fledgling production and postfledging survival of individually marked geese in three recently established populations: one Arctic (Barents Sea) and two temperate (Baltic, North Sea). In the Barents Sea population, timing of hatching was synchronized with the peak in food availability and there was strong stabilizing selection. Although birds in the Baltic and North Sea populations bred 6–7 weeks earlier than Arctic birds, timing of hatching was late in relation to the peak in food availability, and there was moderate to strong directional selection for early breeding. In the Baltic, absolute timing of egg laying advanced considerably over the 20-year study period, but advanced little relative to spring phenology, and directional selection on lay date increased over time. Wing moult of adults started only 2–4 weeks earlier in the temperate populations than in the Arctic. Synchronization between fledging of young and end of wing moult decreased in the temperate populations. Arctic-breeding geese may gradually accumulate body stores from the food they encounter during spring migration, which allows them to breed relatively early and their young to use the peak of the Arctic food resources. By contrast, temperate-breeding birds are not able to acquire adequate body stores from local resources early enough, that is before the quality of food for their young starts to decrease. When global temperatures continue to rise, Arctic-breeding barnacle geese might encounter similar problems.
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| 4. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Kin clustering in barnacle geese : familiarity or phenotype matching?
- 2002
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Ingår i: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 13:6, s. 786-790
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 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.
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| 5. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Nest parasitism in the barnacle goose : evidence from protein fingerprinting and microsatellites
- 2009
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Ingår i: Animal Behaviour. - London : Academic Press. - 0003-3472 .- 1095-8282. ; 78:1, s. 167-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Geese are often seen as one of nature's best examples of monogamous relationships, and many social pairs stay together for life. However, when parents and young are screened genetically, some chicks do not match their social parents. Although this has often been explained as adoption of foreign young after hatching, conspecific nest parasitism is another possibility. We used nondestructive egg albumen sampling and protein fingerprinting to estimate the frequency and success of nest parasitism in a Baltic Sea population of barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis. Among the 86 nests for which we had the most complete information, 36% were parasitized, and 12% of the eggs were parasitic. Almost 80% of the parasitic eggs were laid after the host began incubation. Hatching of these eggs was limited to the few cases where the host female incubated longer than normally because her own eggs failed to hatch. Conspecific nest parasitism in this population therefore seems mainly to be an alternative reproductive tactic of lower fitness than normal nesting. Comparison with DNA profiling of chicks (with 10–14 microsatellites) and other evidence confirmed the suitability of protein fingerprinting for analysis of nest parasitism. It can often provide more data than microsatellites, if eggs are albumen-sampled soon after being laid, before most losses occur.
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| 6. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Nesting success in redshank Tringa totanus breeding on coastal meadows and the importance of perches used by avian predators
- 2005
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Ingår i: Bird Study. - Tring, Herts. : British Trust for Ornithology. - 0006-3657 .- 1944-6705. ; 52:3, s. 289-296
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: To investigate if predation on Redshank nests was affected by habitat characteristics at a local scale. Methods: We examined survival rates of Redshank nests on coastal meadows on the Baltic island of Gotland, Sweden, over two breeding seasons. We analysed nest survival rates in relation to several habitat characteristics that may benefit predators searching for nests. We examined existing studies concerning predation rates on wader nests in relation to edges and habitat features potentially used by avian predators. Results: We found no significant effects of distance to habitat edge or to nearest potential lookout for avian predators or to shoreline. Abundance of Lapwings Vanellus vanellus, an aggressive species with active nest-defence, did not have any significant effect on nest survival rate, nor did vegetation concealment of nests. Nest survival rates were significantly different between years and lower later in the season. Conclusions: There is only weak support for general effects on wader nest predation rates of proximity to edges and features used by avian predators. Simple mechanical management actions such as removal of trees and bushes on coastal meadows may not directly, and by itself, result in higher reproductive success of waders. Further understanding is needed of the behaviour of predators and the composition of the predator community in different landscapes in order to increase the efficiency of management actions to remove threats to vulnerable species on coastal meadows.
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| 7. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Newly established breeding sites of the barnacle Goose branta leucopsis in North-western Europe - an overview of breeding habitats and colony development
- 2008
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Ingår i: Die Vogelwelt : Zeitschrift für Vogelkunde und Vogelschutz. - : Duncker & Humblot. - 0042-7993. ; 129, s. 244-252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Traditional breeding grounds of the Russian Barnacle Goose population are at the Barents Sea in the Russian Arctic. During the last decades, the population increased and expanded the breeding area by establishing new breeding colonies at lower latitudes. Breeding numbers outside arctic Russia amounted to about 12,000 pairs in 2005. By means of a questionnaire, information about breeding habitat characteristics and colony size, colony growth and goose density were collected from breeding areas outside Russia. This paper gives an overview about the new breeding sites and their development in Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. Statistical analyses showed significant differences in habitat characteristics and population parameters between North Sea and Baltic breeding sites. Colonies at the North Sea are growing rapidly, whereas in Sweden the growth has levelled off in recent years. In Estonia numbers are even decreasing. On the basis of their breeding site choice, the flyway population of Barnacle Geese traditionally breeding in the Russian Arctic can be divided into three sub-populations: the Barents Sea population, the Baltic population and the North Sea population. The populations differ not only in habitat use but also in breeding biology.
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| 8. |
- Larsson, Kjell, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Population differentiation in the redshank (Tringa totanus) as revealed by mitochondrial DNA and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers
- 2005
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Ingår i: Conservation Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-0621 .- 1572-9737. ; 6:3, s. 321-331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The redshank (Tringa totanus) is declining throughout Europe and to implement efficient conservation measures, it is important to obtain information about the population genetic structure. The aim of the present study was two-fold. First, we analysed the genetic variation within and between populations in the Baltic region in southern Scandinavia. Evidence of genetic structure would suggest that different populations might require separate management strategies. Second, in an attempt to study large-scale genetic structure we compared the Baltic populations with redshanks from northern Scandinavia and Iceland. This analysis could reveal insights into phylogeography and long-term population history. DNA samples were collected from six breeding sites in Scandinavia presumed to include two subspecies (totanus and britannica) and a further sample from Iceland (subspecies robusta). Two methods were used to study the population genetic structure. Domain II and III of the mitochondrial control region was analysed by DNA sequencing and nuclear DNA was analysed by screening amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Mitochondrial DNA showed no variation between individuals in domain II. When analysing an 481 bp fragment of domain III seven haplotypes were found among birds. On the basis of mtDNA sequences, redshanks showed some evidence of a recent expansion from a bottlenecked refugial population. Bayesian analyses of AFLP data revealed a significant genetic differentiation between suggested subspecies but not between populations within the Baltic region. Our results indicate that populations of redshanks in Europe constitute at least three separate management units corresponding to the recognised subspecies.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Ottvall, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Uppföljning av häckfåglars förekomst och utbredning på öländska sjömarker
- 2005
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna rapport sammanställer resultat från delprojektet "Uppföljning av arters förekomst och utbredning" som ingår som en del i övervakningen inom LIFE-projektet "Strandängar och våtmarker i det öländska odlingslandskapet" som Länsstyrelsen i Kalmar driver. Arbetet har utförts i samarbete med Högskolan på Gotland, Lunds universitet, Naturvårdsverket och Jan Pettersson (JP Fågelvind). Delprojektet har omfattat häckfågelinventeringar av sjöfåglar år 2003 respektive 2004 inom projektområdet. Dessa inventeringar som omfattade simfåglar, vadare och måsar, trutar och tärnor var en upprepning av motsvarande inventeringar som genomfördes i strandnära betesmarker på Öland år 1988 respektive 1998. Vi studerade också kläckningsframgång hos vadare kopplat till predation (främst kråka, korp och räv) och trampskador från betande djur. Överlevnaden hos vadarbon under-söktes vid olika tätheter av betesdjur. Häckfågelinventeringarna kompletterades med uppföljning av andelen lyckade häckningar av rödbena som fungerade som en modellart för häckningsframgång hos vadare i allmänhet. För detta krävdes att en metod för uppföljning av effekten av predation av ägg och ungar utarbetades och prövades.
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