title: Manipulating individual state during migration provides evidence for carry-over effects modulated by environmental conditions.
abstract: Despite observational evidence of carry-over effects (COEs, events occurring in one season that produce residual effects on individuals the following seasons), to our knowledge no experimental studies have been carried out to explore how COEs might affect reproductive output. We simulated an environmental perturbation affecting spring-staging migrants to investigate COEs in greater snow geese (Anser caerulescens atlanticus). During three consecutive years, 2037 females captured during spring staging (approx. 3000 km south of their Arctic breeding grounds) were maintained in captivity (with or without access to food) for 0-4 days. Duration of captivity (but not food treatment) negatively affected reproductive success, probably through stress response. Reproductive success was reduced by 45-71% in 2 years, but not in a third year with unusually favourable breeding conditions. This unprecedented manipulation indicates that COEs can have a strong effect on individual reproductive success in long-distance migrants, but that this effect can be partly compensated for by good environmental conditions on the breeding ground.
authors.affiliation: Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval Québec, Pavillon Vachon, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec, Canada. legagneux@gmail.com
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Legagneux
authors.forename: Peter L F
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Fast
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bêty
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005777:Geese / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013997:Time Factors