Does changing spring phenology affect short and long distance migratory waterfowl similarly?

• Among waterfowl, most ducks may be considered income breeders due to their small body size and their limited capacity to store energy. Therefore limited access to resources on their breeding grounds is likely to affect their breeding schedule and potentially output. At northern latitudes, ice break up dictates the access to the breeding lakes. An early ice break up allows for early access to the breeding site and its feeding resources, and potentially leading to higher breeding output than after a late ice break up. Short distance migrants are thus more likely to adapt to ice break up conditions than long distance migrants which have to cope with weather conditions en route and local resource accessibility along the migratory path. Using 20 years of data on breeding phenology and success of 3 species of ducks differing in their migratory strategy - Teal Anas crecca, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula - in a watershed in Finland, we test the idea that variation in spring phenology affects the reproductive performance of duck species differently depending on their migration pattern.

Subject headings

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologiska vetenskaper (hsv//swe)

Keyword

Biology

Biologi

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)