Effects of harness-attached transmitters on premigration and reproduction of Brant
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Radio transmitters are an important tool in waterfowl ecology studies, but little is known about their effects on free-ranging geese. We attached transmitters to female brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) to investigate migration schedules at a fall staging area, return rates to nesting grounds, and nesting rates of returning females in subsequent breeding seasons. Radio-tagged females (n = 62) carried either 35-g back-mounted transmitters attached with ribbon harnesses, or 26- or 32-g back-mounted transmitters affixed with plastic-coated wire harnesses (Dwyer 1972). Arrival and departure schedules at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, did not differ (P > 0.05) between radio-tagged females and the entire population in 1987-89. Color-banded females with transmitters returned to the breeding colony in subsequent nesting seasons (1988-92) at a lower (P ≤ 0.003) rate (≤4%) than color-banded females without transmitters (57-83%). The 1 returning color-banded female with a transmitter did not breed, while an average 90% of the returning color-banded females without transmitters nested in subsequent breeding seasons (P = 0.005). Back-mounted, harness-attached transmitters may bias data in studies of waterfowl behavior, productivity, and survival.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Effects of harness-attached transmitters on premigration and reproduction of Brant |
| Series title | Journal of Wildlife Management |
| DOI | 10.2307/3809113 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1995 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center, Alaska Science Center Biology WTEB |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 39 |
| Last page | 46 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Izembek Lagoon |