Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species
Abstract Background Migratory phenology affects fitness and therefore plays a crucial role in the annual life cycle of migrants. Various indicators in relation to the migration patterns of Arctic nesting birds have been well studied (e.g. vegetation production), but we still lack knowledge from lowe...
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BMC
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Movement Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00583-0 |
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| author | Junjian Zhang Xianghuang Li Xueqin Deng Iderbat Damba Nyambayar Batbayar Zhenggang Xu Yong Zhang Lei Cao Anthony David Fox |
| author_facet | Junjian Zhang Xianghuang Li Xueqin Deng Iderbat Damba Nyambayar Batbayar Zhenggang Xu Yong Zhang Lei Cao Anthony David Fox |
| author_sort | Junjian Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Migratory phenology affects fitness and therefore plays a crucial role in the annual life cycle of migrants. Various indicators in relation to the migration patterns of Arctic nesting birds have been well studied (e.g. vegetation production), but we still lack knowledge from lower latitudes, e.g. the Mongolian Plateau, which is one of the top-priority regions for avian research and conservation. Methods We used 208 spring and 248 autumn migration tracks from individually tagged Swan Geese Anser cygnoides (SG) and Greylag Geese A. anser (GG) from four geographically discrete breeding groups across the Mongolian Plateau. We analyzed the difference in their migratory timing, how they responded to nine environmental metrics as indicators of environmental change, and the probability of spring arrival and autumn departure. Results We found significant differences in spring and autumn departure times between species, yet their arrival times were similar, although the migration phenology of eastern nesting birds differed significantly from those in central and western Mongolia. Their spring migration followed the onset of daily temperature reaching 0 °C, but was not correlated with indices of plant green-up, which occurred behind them along their migration routes. The autumn departure phenology of SG exhibited stronger responses to 0 °C nighttime temperatures, while the GG responded more to 0 °C cumulative temperatures. Conclusions Two goose species follow behind the daily 0 °C and before the green-up of plants in spring, allowing the time of hatching of goslings to coincide with the plant growth peak, ensuring a predictable food supply for the nidifugous juveniles. Vegetation and snow metrics were not appropriate indicators to predict the migration process of either species, due to the lack of strong latitudinal gradients in plant growth and long-term snow cover. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e72b2b2baef4d318b2095d783d7d85a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2051-3933 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Movement Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e72b2b2baef4d318b2095d783d7d85a2025-08-20T03:46:25ZengBMCMovement Ecology2051-39332025-08-0113111410.1186/s40462-025-00583-0Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose speciesJunjian Zhang0Xianghuang Li1Xueqin Deng2Iderbat Damba3Nyambayar Batbayar4Zhenggang Xu5Yong Zhang6Lei Cao7Anthony David Fox8State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesEast China Sea Survey Center, Ministry of Natural ResourcesCenter for Environmental Education and Communications (CEEC) of Ministry of Ecology and EnvironmentInstitute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of SciencesWildlife Science and Conservation CenterHunan Engineering Research Center of Ecological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Technology in Dongting Lake Region, College of Information and Electronic Engineering, Hunan City UniversityCo-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry UniversityState Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Ecoscience, Aarhus UniversityAbstract Background Migratory phenology affects fitness and therefore plays a crucial role in the annual life cycle of migrants. Various indicators in relation to the migration patterns of Arctic nesting birds have been well studied (e.g. vegetation production), but we still lack knowledge from lower latitudes, e.g. the Mongolian Plateau, which is one of the top-priority regions for avian research and conservation. Methods We used 208 spring and 248 autumn migration tracks from individually tagged Swan Geese Anser cygnoides (SG) and Greylag Geese A. anser (GG) from four geographically discrete breeding groups across the Mongolian Plateau. We analyzed the difference in their migratory timing, how they responded to nine environmental metrics as indicators of environmental change, and the probability of spring arrival and autumn departure. Results We found significant differences in spring and autumn departure times between species, yet their arrival times were similar, although the migration phenology of eastern nesting birds differed significantly from those in central and western Mongolia. Their spring migration followed the onset of daily temperature reaching 0 °C, but was not correlated with indices of plant green-up, which occurred behind them along their migration routes. The autumn departure phenology of SG exhibited stronger responses to 0 °C nighttime temperatures, while the GG responded more to 0 °C cumulative temperatures. Conclusions Two goose species follow behind the daily 0 °C and before the green-up of plants in spring, allowing the time of hatching of goslings to coincide with the plant growth peak, ensuring a predictable food supply for the nidifugous juveniles. Vegetation and snow metrics were not appropriate indicators to predict the migration process of either species, due to the lack of strong latitudinal gradients in plant growth and long-term snow cover.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00583-0Anser anserAnser cygnoidesMigration phenologyNDVISnow coverTemperature |
| spellingShingle | Junjian Zhang Xianghuang Li Xueqin Deng Iderbat Damba Nyambayar Batbayar Zhenggang Xu Yong Zhang Lei Cao Anthony David Fox Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species Movement Ecology Anser anser Anser cygnoides Migration phenology NDVI Snow cover Temperature |
| title | Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species |
| title_full | Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species |
| title_fullStr | Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species |
| title_short | Exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two Mongolian Plateau-nesting goose species |
| title_sort | exploring potential environmental drivers of migration phenology in two mongolian plateau nesting goose species |
| topic | Anser anser Anser cygnoides Migration phenology NDVI Snow cover Temperature |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00583-0 |
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