Abstract
Reproductive success in monogamous species is generally affected by both behavioural and hormonal fine-tuning between pair partners. Vigilance, defence and brooding of offspring are among the main parental investments, and often the sexes adopt different roles. In the present study, we investigate how sex differences in parental behaviour and family proximity in the socially monogamous Greylag Goose (Anser anser) affect gosling survival. During the reproductive season in spring 2013, we recorded the behaviour of 18 pairs with offspring and gosling survival in a semi-tame, long-term monitored, and individually marked flock of Greylag Geese in Grünau, Austria. We found that behavioural role differentiation between the parents varied with developmental phase, and thus with gosling age. Especially during the first 10 days after hatching, females were foraging more frequently than males, which were more vigilant and aggressive towards other flock members. Such differences between the sexes levelled out 20 to 30 days after hatching. In general, females stayed in closer proximity to their offspring than males. Gosling survival was high when the parents were relatively aggressive and emphasized vigilance rather than foraging behaviour. Hence, we show a direct link between pair partners’ quality of parental investment and gosling survival.
Highlights
In waterfowl, the number of offspring at hatching and fledging are among the most often used measures of fitness (Lack 1966; Trivers 1972; Lamprecht 1986; Cooke and Rockwell 1988; Williams et al 1994; Cooke et al 1995)
During the reproductive season in spring 2013, we investigated the behaviour of parental geese and proximity within the families and linked it to gosling survival in the long-term monitored and individually marked flock of Greylag Geese in Grünau im Almtal (Austria)
General vigilance increased in phase 2 and decreased again in phase 3 in males, while females stayed alert in phases 2 and 3, to a lesser extent than males (Fig. 1)
Summary
The number of offspring at hatching and fledging are among the most often used measures of fitness (Lack 1966; Trivers 1972; Lamprecht 1986; Cooke and Rockwell 1988; Williams et al 1994; Cooke et al 1995). In Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis), for instance, both parental males and parental females spend much more time being vigilant than males and females without goslings (Black and Owen 1989; Forslund 1993; Black et al 2007) Parents adjust their activity budgets to the number of goslings, where parents with larger families spend less time foraging than parents with small families [e.g. Bar-headed Goose, Anser indicus (Schindler and Lamprecht 1987); Barnacle Goose (Forslund 1993; Siriwardena and Black 1998; Loonen et al 1999); Lesser Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens caerulescens (Cooke and Rockwell 1988; Williams et al 1994)]
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