Patterns of predation of Pink-footed Goose nests by polar bear

This study explored patterns of predation by polar bear Ursus maritimus on the nests of Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus on the coastal tundra stretch Nordenskioldkysten, west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Goose nests occurred in densities of up to 126 nests/km 2 (mean=6.4), at an average distance of 1.5 km from the seashore, and were mainly associated with greenstone outcrops. Open, flat areas were avoided for nesting. Goose pairs nested in colonies of up to 23 nests, with 50% of the pairs nesting in colonies larger than 5. In 2011 and 2012, polar bears invaded the Pink-footed Goose nesting area to consume goose eggs, a behaviour that they had not exhibited in previous years. Polar bears selectively visited the taller outcrops and locations with the larger number of goose nests. Moreover there was a steep gradient in predation from the seashore towards the inland, with no predation at distances greater than 1.8 km from the coastline. We expect that the predation pressure by polar bears will aggravate in the coming years when more bears learn to exploit the inland goose colonies.

[1]  J. Aars,et al.  Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternity den distribution in Svalbard, Norway , 2012, Polar Biology.

[2]  A. Saveliev,et al.  Individual inter-annual nest-site relocation behaviour drives dynamics of a recently established Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis colony in sub-arctic Russia , 2011 .

[3]  K. Elliott,et al.  Has early ice clearance increased predation on breeding birds by polar bears? , 2010, Polar Biology.

[4]  R. Rockwell,et al.  The early bear gets the goose: climate change, polar bears and lesser snow geese in western Hudson Bay , 2009, Polar Biology.

[5]  Benjamin M. Bolker,et al.  Ecological Models and Data in R , 2008 .

[6]  T. Kooten,et al.  Substitution of top predators: effects of pike invasion in a subarctic lake , 2007 .

[7]  Jesper Madsen,et al.  Effects of snow cover on the timing and success of reproduction in high-Arctic pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus , 2007, Polar Biology.

[8]  J. Madsen,et al.  Eastward moult migration of non-breeding pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) in Svalbard , 2007 .

[9]  K. Kovacs,et al.  Marine mammals in the Bellsund – Van Mijenfjorden – Van Keulenfjorden area : new investigations and status of knowledge , 2002 .

[10]  J. Madsen,et al.  Trends in annual and seasonal survival of Pink‐footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus , 2002 .

[11]  J. Stahl,et al.  Subordinates explore but dominants profit: resource competition in high Arctic barnacle goose flocks , 2001, Animal Behaviour.

[12]  J. D. Vries,et al.  Impact of snow and food conditions on the reproductive performance of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis , 1993 .

[13]  R Core Team,et al.  R: A language and environment for statistical computing. , 2014 .

[14]  J. Madsen,et al.  Resource partitioning in sympatric arctic‐breeding geese: summer habitat use, spatial and dietary overlap of Barnacle and Pink‐footed Geese in Svalbard , 2009 .

[15]  R. Drent,et al.  Barnacle goose Branta leucopsis survey on Nordenskiöldkysten, west Spitsbergen 1975-2007: breeding in relation to carrying capacity and predator impact , 2008 .

[16]  Jouke Prop,et al.  Wild goose dilemmas : population consequences of individual decisions in Barnacle geese , 2007 .

[17]  I. Newton,et al.  Population Limitation in Birds , 1998 .

[18]  J. Madsen,et al.  CORRELATES OF PREDATOR ABUNDANCE WITH SNOW AND ICE CONDITIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN DETERMINING TIMING OF NESTING AND BREEDING SUCCESS IN SVALBARD LIGHT-B ELLIED BRENT GEESE BRANTA BERNICLA HROTA , 1998 .

[19]  F. Mehlum.  Areas in Svalbard important for geese during the pre-breeding, breeding and post-breeding periods , 1998 .

[20]  Todd J. Mabee.  USING EGGSHELL EVIDENCE TO DETERMINE NEST FATE OF SHOREBIRDS , 1997 .

[21]  I. Stirling,et al.  Polar Bears: The Natural History of a Threatened Species , 2013 .

[22]  Norsk Polarinstitutt,et al.  Geological map of Svalbard, 1:100, 000 sheet B10G Van Mijenfjorden , 1985 .

[23]  C. Perrins,et al.  Wild Geese of the World , 1980 .