Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T06:07:28.408Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An aggregative response of the tropical Australian magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) to seasonal floodplains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Lochran W. Traill  and
Barry W. Brook
Lochran W. Traill*
Affiliation:
The Environment Institute and School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia School for Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia
Barry W. Brook
Affiliation:
The Environment Institute and School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
*
1Corresponding author. Present address: Ecology Centre, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia 4067Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

We describe the spatial aggregation of the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) in relation to the dynamics of the ephemeral floodplains of northern Australia. Past broad-scale studies have linked geese to floodplains dominated by the sedge, Eleocharis dulcis, but the type of response has not been determined, nor the impact of predation on food plants. Moreover, departure thresholds are not known. We develop hypotheses on aggregation and departure and confront these with field data. Thus, from 2005–2007 we established two sites on the floodplains of Kakadu National Park (three 1-ha plots per site, six plots in total) and used for monthly, dry season bird counts. An airboat was used to collect data from each of the six plots, including sedge tubers and measures of water level and soil viscosity. Further, we built exclosures (three per site, six in total) to test the impact of herbivory on E. dulcis. Generalized linear models and information theory were used to test the strength of supporting evidence for alternate hypotheses. Geese showed a clear aggregative response to E. dulcis tubers, were forced to depart following floodplain drying and had a marked impact on E. dulcis tuber density. Despite this, there was no evidence of a negative-feedback mechanism between plant–herbivore populations, suggesting that the system is driven by extrinsic parameters (here rainfall).

Keywords

Eleocharis dulcisherbivoryKakadumagpie geese
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , March 2011 , pp. 171 - 180
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

BADZINSKI, S. S., ANKNEY, C. D. & PETRIE, S. A. 2006. Influence of migrant tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on aquatic vegetation at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario. Hydrobiologia 567:195–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BAYLISS, P. 1989. Population dynamics of magpie geese in relation to rainfall and density – implications for harvest models in a fluctuating environment. Journal of Applied Ecology 26:913–924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BAYLISS, P. & YEOMANS, K. M. 1990. Seasonal distribution and abundance of magpie geese, (Anseranas semipalmata) in the Northern Territory, and their relationship to habitat, 1983–86. Wildlife Research 17:15–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BELANGER, L. & BEDARD, J. 1994. Foraging ecology of Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens), in different Scirpus marsh plant communities. Canadian Field Naturalist 108:271–281.Google Scholar
BOS, D., VAN DE KOPPEL, J. & WEISSING, F. J. 2004. Dark-bellied Brent geese aggregate to cope with increased levels of primary production. Oikos 107:485–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BRATHEN, K. A., IMS, R. A., YOCCOZ, N. G., FAUCHALD, P., TVERAA, T. & HAUSNER, V. H. 2007. Induced shift in ecosystem productivity? Extensive scale effects of abundant large herbivores. Ecosystems 10:773–789.Google Scholar
BURNHAM, K. P. & ANDERSON, D. R. 2001. Kullback–Leibler information as a basis for strong inference in ecological studies. Wildlife Research 28:111–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CORBETT, L. & HERTOG, A. L. 1996. An experimental study of the impact of feral swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) on the breeding habitat and nesting success of magpie geese (Anseranas semipalmata) in Kakadu National Park. Biological Conservation 76:277–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COWIE, I. D., SHORT, P. S. & OSTERKAMP-MADSEN, M. 2000. Floodplain flora: a flora of the coastal floodplains of the Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Govt. Flora of Australia Supplementary Series, 10. 382 pp.Google Scholar
DPI. 2004. Waterwise on the farm: soil texture assessment. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Australia. 2 pp.Google Scholar
ELIOT, I., FINLAYSON, C. M. & WATERMAN, P. 1999. Predicted climate change, sea level rise and wetland management in the Australian wet-dry tropics. Wetlands Ecology and Management 7:63–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FINLAYSON, C. M., LOWRY, J., BELLIO, M. G., NOU, S., PIDGEON, R., WALDEN, D., HUMPHREY, C. & FOX, G. 2006. Biodiversity of the wetlands of the Kakadu Region, northern Australia. Aquatic Sciences 68:374–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FRITH, H. J. & DAVIES, S. J. J. F. 1961. Ecology of the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata). Wildlife Research 6:92–141.Google Scholar
HECK, K. L. & VALENTINE, J. F. 2006. Plant–herbivore interactions in seagrass meadows. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330:420–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HOLLING, C. S. 1959a. The components of predation as revealed by a study of small mammal predation of the European pine sawfly. Canadian Entomology 91:293–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HOLLING, C. S. 1959b. Some characteristics of simple types of predation and parasitism. Canadian Entomologist 91:385–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JEFFERIES, R. L. & ROCKWELL, R. F. 2002. Foraging geese, vegetation loss and soil degradation in an Arctic salt marsh. Applied Vegetation Science 5:7–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JEFFERIES, R. L., KLEIN, D. R. & SHAVER, G. R. 1994. Vertebrate herbivores and northern plant communities – reciprocal influences and responses. Oikos 71:193–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KIGHT, C. R. & SWADDLE, J. P. 2007. Associations of anthropogenic activity and disturbance with fitness metrics of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). Biological Conservation 138:189–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LONSDALE, W. M. 1994. Inviting trouble – introduced pasture species in Northern Australia. Austral Ecology 19:345–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LOWE, K. W. 1989. The Australian bird banders' manual. Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme, Canberra.Google Scholar
MCCARTHY, M. A. 2007. Bayesian methods for ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 296 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MULRENNAN, M. E. & WOODROFFE, C. D. 1998. Holocene development of the lower Mary River plains, Northern Territory, Australia. Holocene 8:565–579.Google Scholar
NOLET, B. A., LANGEVOORD, O., BEVAN, R. M., ENGELAAR, K. R., KLAASEN, M.MULDER, R. J. & VAN DIJK, S. 2001. Spatial variation in tuber depletion by swans explained by differences in net-intake rates. Ecology 82:1655–1667.Google Scholar
NOORDHUIS, R., VAN DER MOLEN, D. T. & VAN DEN BERG, M. S. 2002. Response of herbivorous water-birds to the return of Chara in Lake Veluwemeer, the Netherlands. Aquatic Botany 72:349–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NYE, E. R., DICKMAN, C. R. & KINGSFORD, T. R. 2007. A wild goose chase – temporal and spatial variation in the distribution of the Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata) in Australia. Emu 107:28–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PRESS, T., LEA, D., WEBB, A. & GRAHAM, A. 1995. Kakadu, natural and cultural heritage management. Australian National University, Darwin. 318 pp.Google Scholar
PRINS, A. H. & NELL, H. W. 1990. Positive and negative effects of herbivory on the population dynamics of Senecio jacobaea and Cynoglossum officinale. Oecologia 83:325–332.Google Scholar
ROSENZWEIG, M. L. & MACARTHUR, R. H. 1963. Graphical representation and stability conditions of predator–prey interaction. American Naturalist 97:209–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROWCLIFFE, J. M., WATKINSON, A. R. & SUTHERLAND, W. J. 1998. Aggregative responses of brent geese on salt marsh and their impact on plant community dynamics. Oecologia 114:417–426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
ROWCLIFFE, J. M., SUTHERLAND, W. J. & WATKINSON, A. R. 1999. The functional and aggregative responses of a herbivore: underlying mechanisms and the spatial implications for plant depletion. Journal of Animal Ecology 68:853–868.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROWCLIFFE, J. M., WATKINSON, A. R., SUTHERLAND, W. J. & VICKERY, J. A. 2001. The depletion of algal beds by geese: a predictive model and test. Oecologia 127:361–371.Google Scholar
TIMMERMANS, S. T. A., BADZINSKI, S. S. & INGRAM, J. W. 2008. Associations between breeding marsh bird abundances and Great Lakes hydrology. Journal of Great Lakes Research 34:351–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TRAILL, L. W., BRADSHAW, C. J. A., DELEAN, S. & BROOK, B. W. 2010. Wetland conservation and sustainable use under global change: a tropical Australian case study using magpie geese. Ecography Online Early, doi: 10.1111/j.1600–0587.2009.06205.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VICKERY, J. A., SUTHERLAND, W. J., WATKINSON, A. R., LANE, S. J. & ROWCLIFFE, J. M. 1995. Habitat switching by dark-bellied Brent geese (Branta bernicla) in relation to food depletion. Oecologia 103:499–508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WHITEHEAD, P. J. 1998. Dynamics of habitat use by the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata): implications for conservation management. PhD Dissertation, Charles Darwin University, Darwin.Google Scholar
WHITEHEAD, P. J. & TSCHIRNER, K. 1990. Magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) nesting on the Mary River floodplain: extent and frequency of flooding losses. Wildlife Research 17:147–157.Google Scholar
ZACHEIS, A., RUESS, R. W. & HUPP, J. W. 2002. Nitrogen dynamics in an Alaskan salt marsh following spring use by geese. Oecologia 130:600–608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar