The abundance of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska, USA, has more than tripled since the late 1990s; however, recent rate of annual population growth has declined as population size increased, which may indicate white-fronted geese on the ACP are approaching carrying capacity. We examined rates of gosling growth in greater white-fronted geese at 3 sites on the ACP during 2012–2014 to assist with predictions of future population trends and assess evidence for density-dependent constraints on recruitment. We marked goslings at hatch with individually coded webtags and conducted brood drives during early August to capture, measure, and weigh goslings. Annual estimates of gosling mass at 32 days old (range = 1,190–1,685) indicate that goslings had obtained >60% of asymptotic size. This rate of growth corresponds with that of other goose species and populations with access to high-quality forage and no limitations on forage availability, and is consistent with the overall increase in abundance of white-fronted geese at the ACP scale. Contrary to most previous investigations, age-adjusted mass of goslings did not decline with hatch date. Goslings grew faster in coastal areas than at inland freshwater sites. Taken together, these findings suggest forage was not limiting gosling growth rates in either ecosystem, but forage was of greater quality in coastal areas where goose foraging habitat is expanding because of permafrost subsidence. Spatial patterns of gosling growth corresponded with local-scale patterns of population density and population change; the areas with greatest rates of gosling growth were those with the greatest population density and rates of population increase. We found little evidence to suggest forage during brood rearing was limiting population increase of white-fronted geese on the ACP. Factors responsible for the apparent slowing of ACP-wide population growth are likely those that occur in stages of the annual cycle outside of the breeding grounds. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

中文翻译：

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大白额鹅幼鹅的生长与多个尺度的种群动态有关

大量的大白额雁（Anser albifrons frontalis) 在美国阿拉斯加北部的北极海岸平原 (ACP) 上，自 1990 年代后期以来已经增加了两倍多；然而，随着人口规模的增加，最近的年人口增长率有所下降，这可能表明 ACP 上的白额雁正在接近其承载能力。我们在 2012-2014 年期间检查了 ACP 的 3 个地点的大白额鹅的幼鹅生长率，以帮助预测未来的人口趋势并评估密度依赖的招募限制的证据。我们在孵化时用单独编码的网络标签标记小鹅，并在 8 月初进行了育雏活动，以捕获、测量和称重小鹅。对 32 天龄雏鹅质量的年度估计（范围 = 1,190-1,685）表明，雏鹅已获得 > 60% 的渐近体型。这种增长率与可以获得优质草料且不受草料供应限制的其他鹅物种和种群的增长率一致，并且与 ACP 规模的白额雁丰度的总体增加一致。与之前的大多数调查相反，雏鹅的年龄调整质量并没有随着孵化日期而下降。小鹅在沿海地区比内陆淡水地区生长得更快。综上所述，这些发现表明，在这两个生态系统中，饲草并未限制小鹅的生长速度，但在沿海地区，由于永久冻土沉降，鹅觅食栖息地正在扩大，饲草质量更高。小鹅生长的空间模式与人口密度和人口变化的局部规模模式相对应；小鹅增长率最高的地区是人口密度和人口增长率最高的地区。我们发现几乎没有证据表明育雏期间的饲草限制了 ACP 上白额雁的种群增长。导致 ACP 范围内人口增长明显放缓的因素很可能发生在繁殖地以外的年度周期阶段。2021 年出版。本文为美国政府作品，在美国属于公有领域。导致 ACP 范围内人口增长明显放缓的因素很可能发生在繁殖地以外的年度周期阶段。2021 年出版。本文为美国政府作品，在美国属于公有领域。导致 ACP 范围内人口增长明显放缓的因素很可能发生在繁殖地以外的年度周期阶段。2021 年出版。本文为美国政府作品，在美国属于公有领域。