Assessing changes in grazing lawn abundance available for avian herbivores on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
For species of conservation concern, it is important to identify changes in the habitats they use. We will assess potential changes in grazing lawn abundance on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta over time and identify factors influencing this abundance.Abstract
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is an internationally important breeding area for geese. At times, up to 2 million geese breed there, and geese are a highly valued resource to local communities. Geese breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta rely heavily on grazing lawns of a highly nutritious short sedge (Carex subspathacea) as a critical food resource. Grazing lawns of this sedge have been linked to breeding success of black brant and emperor geese, the two goose species of greatest conservation concern and the two most dependent on this sedge. We will analyze aerial imagery from a long-term dataset (>20 yrs) to model changes in grazing lawn abundance over time and identify the possible factors impacting those changes, including numbers of breeding birds, their primary predator, and spring phenology. Any factors dictating the amount of grazing lawn available for geese would strongly influence breeding success and the maximum size of these populations. Results from this project will help identify potential reasons for reduced breeding success and populations declines of geese in this ecosystem.
Products
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| Aerial Imagery Captured at Nesting Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) Colonies on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 1993-2016 | Data |
Contacts
Schmutz, Joel A., 907-786-7186Status: completed
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2019
Project Sites
Collaborators
FWS - Yukon Delta National Wildlife RefugeLocation
Kigigak IslandKokechik Bay
Tutakoke River
Yukon Delta
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
USGS Mission Area and Program
Ecosystems → Wildlife ProgramLand Resources → Land Change Science
Major Initiatives
LCC - Western Alaska Landscape Conservation CooperativeUSGS - Wetlands and Terrestrial Ecology
Keywords
Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Birds > Ducks/Geese/SwansBiological Classification > Plants
Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Community Dynamics > Grazing Dynamics / Plant Ecology
Land Surface > Land Use/Land Cover > Land Cover