Vegetation phenology affecting moulting goose distribution
In the Arctic, waterfowl may migrate after breeding towards sites with higher food quality, before undergoing wing moult. On Svalbard, a later vegetation phenology occurs on higher elevations, and further to the east (i.e. Edge&oslas;ya). These locations are therefore expected to offer a higher food quality for moulting geese. We aim to test whether moulting geese indeed can profit from this at these sites during moult. We use additional data from expeditions in 2015 and 2018, and GPS-tracking data of geese. Because climate warming is more rapid on Edgeøya than on Spitsbergen, suitability of moulting sites may change there more over time.
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