Factors limiting reproductive success in urban Greylag Geese (Anser anser). 2022

Sabrina Mai, and Jean-Louis Berthoud, and Holger Haag, and Friederike Woog
Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.

In the late eighties, Greylag Geese (Anser anser) started to colonise an urban area previously void of geese in southwestern Germany. Between 2004 and 2020, in a period of steady population increase with subsequent population stagnation, we analysed two measures of reproductive success: (1) the relation between freshly hatched to fledged young for each brood and (2) the probability of a hatchling to survive to fledging. We were able to show that the dispersal of pairs from the nesting site to a different brood rearing area resulted in higher reproductive success. However, the increasing population size of Greylag Geese and the number of breeding pairs of recently immigrated Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) had a negative impact on reproductive success, indicating density dependence. Our results show that newly established populations in urban settings do not grow indefinitely, which is an important fact that should be taken into account by wildlife managers.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D004372 Ducks A water bird in the order Anseriformes (subfamily Anatinae (true ducks)) with a broad blunt bill, short legs, webbed feet, and a waddling gait. Duck
D005777 Geese Any of various large waterfowl in the order Anseriformes, especially those of the genera Anser (gray geese) and Branta (black geese). They are larger than ducks but smaller than swans, prefer FRESH WATER, and occur primarily in the northern hemisphere. Goose,Gooses
D005858 Germany A country in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. The capital is Berlin.
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000835 Animals, Wild Animals considered to be wild or feral or not adapted for domestic use. It does not include wild animals in zoos for which ANIMALS, ZOO is available. Animals, Nondomestic,Animals, Nondomesticated,Animals, Feral,Stray Animals,Animal, Feral,Animal, Nondomestic,Animal, Nondomesticated,Animal, Stray,Animal, Wild,Animals, Stray,Feral Animal,Feral Animals,Nondomestic Animal,Nondomestic Animals,Nondomesticated Animal,Nondomesticated Animals,Stray Animal,Wild Animal,Wild Animals

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