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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Geographic variation in Bar-headed Geese Anser indicus: Connectivity of wintering areas and breeding grounds across a broad front
Wildfowl, Volume 59, Year 2009
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Description
The connectivity and frequency of exchange between sub-populations of migratory birds is integral to understanding population dynamics over the entire species' range. True geese are highly philopatric and acquire lifetime mates during the winter, suggesting that the number of distinct sub-populations may be related to the number of distinct wintering areas. In the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, a species found exclusively in Central Asia, the connectivity between breeding and wintering areas is not well known. Their migration includes crossing a broad front of the Himalaya Cordillera, a significant barrier to migration for most birds. Many Bar-headed Geese fly to breeding areas on the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau (TQP), the highest plateau in the world. From 2005-2008, 60 Bar-headed Geese were captured and marked with satellite transmitters in Nepal (n = 2), India (n = 6), China (n = 29), and Mongolia (n = 23) to examine their migration and distribution. Distinct differences were observed in their migration corridors and timing of movements, including an apparent leap-frog migration pattern for geese from Mongolia. Measurements of geese from Mongolia were larger than their counterparts from China, providing some evidence of morphological differences. Alteration of habitats in China, including the warming effects of climate change on glaciers increasing runoff to TQP wetlands, may be changing goose migration patterns and timing. With the exception of one individual, all geese from Qinghai Lake, China wintered in the southern TQP near Lhasa, and their increasing numbers in that region may be related to the effects of climate change and agricultural development. Thus, our findings document both morphological and geographical variation in sub-populations of Bar-headed Geese, but their resilience to environmental change may be lost if migratory short-stopping results in larger congregations restricted to a smaller number of wintering areas. © Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
Authors & Co-Authors
Takekawa, John Y.
United States, Reston
United States Geological Survey
Heath, Shane R.
United States, Beltsville
Usda Ars Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
Douglas, David C.
United States, Reston
United States Geological Survey
Perry, W. M.
United States, Reston
United States Geological Survey
Javed, S.
United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
Newman, Scott H.
Italy, Rome
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Suwal, Rajendra N.
Nepal, Kathmandu
Nepal Heart Foundation
Rahmani, Asad Rafi
India, Mumbai
Bombay Natural History Society
Choudhury, Binod Chandra
India, Dehradun
Wildlife Institute of India
Prosser, Diann J.
United States, Beltsville
Usda Ars Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
Yan, Baoping
China, Beijing
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hou, Y.
China, Xining
Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve
Batbayar, Nyambayar
Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia
Natsagdorj, Tseveenmayadag
Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Bishop, Charles M.
United Kingdom, Bangor
Bangor University
Butler, Patrick J.
United Kingdom, Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Frappell, Peter B.
Australia, Hobart
University of Tasmania
Milsom, William Kenneth
Canada, Vancouver
The University of British Columbia
Scott, Graham R.
Canada, Vancouver
The University of British Columbia
Hawkes, Lucy Alice
United Kingdom, Bangor
Bangor University
Wikelski, Martin C.
Germany, Pocking
Max-planck-institut Für Ornithologie
Statistics
Citations: 21
Authors: 21
Affiliations: 16
Identifiers
ISSN:
09546324
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study