Individual correlates of exploratory and traditional behaviours in pink-footed geese

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Project objective

Research ob jectives and content The proposed project addresses individual differences in site-use strategies in a migratory bird population, the Svalbard Pink- footed Goose. Data from staging and wintering areas in Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium will be brought together to in\esthgate whether traditional or exploratory behaviour of individuals is consistent across seasons and across years, and which factors might determine differences in behaviour. Fitness consequences (survival and reproductive success) of different site-use strategies will be investigated as well. For the first time. the establishment of a marked breeding population on Svalbard willill be attempted, so that patterns of site use throughout the Noear can be related to data on breeding performance (timing, clutch size, brood rearing success, etc.) of the same individuals. This project will provide new insights e.g. into population d! dynamics and colonisation ability of Arctic-breeding geese. The results will be useful in the context of predictive population models. which are increasingly called for in a time of growing goose populations and mounting agricultural conflict. Effective conservation and management of these migratory birds has to be co-ordinated on a European scale and relies on good I empirical data on population and spatio-temporal dynamics. The Project will be carried out in collaboration between NERI. IBN-DLO (The Netherlands), Institute for Nature Conservation l (Belgium) and Norwegian Polar Institute. Training content objective, benefit and expected impact) The project will ill include training in the analysis of data on spatio-temporal use of habitats. Especially home range estimation l and the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) will represent valuable new skills for the applicant. Further l training in multifactorial statistical analysis and in survival estimation methods are also part of the project. Links with industry! /industrial relevance (22) None.

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Participants

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki · ThessalonikiCoordinatorGreece

Links

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