abstract: In 229 cases onset of breeding was recorded from free-living geese of 5 species and of some hybrids of these species, kept in Seewiesen/Obb. (48° N, 11° 11'E) from 1956 to 1966. It was found that the species under these conditions bred in the same seasonal sequence as did wild birds. The mean breeding times, however, were found to be advanced in relation to the onset of breeding in the wild (Fig. 1). This was especially evident in the case of late-breeding species. ♀♀ paired with ♂♂ of another species came into breeding condition at the same time as ♀♀ paired with ♂♂ of the same species (Fig. 1). GraylegxSnowgoose hybrid ♀♀ paired with Snowgoose ♂♂ in most cases started to breed later than Greyleg geese but always earlier than the mean breeding time for Snowgeese (Fig. 1, 2). This intermediate breeding time is taken as a strong argument for the hypothesis that the species specific differences in breeding times are, at least in part, genetic in origin. The question as to the extent to which the differences in breeding times alone, persisting for generations in the same sequence as those of wild birds, can be attributed to genetic differences between the species, is critically discussed.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie Seewiesen und Erling-Andechs (Obb.), Deutschland.|, Gateway 5, Liverpool, (England).
authors.forename: Cliff
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie Seewiesen und Erling-Andechs (Obb.), Deutschland.
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie Seewiesen und Erling-Andechs (Obb.), Deutschland.|Dept. of Zoology, University of Washington, 98105, Seattle, Washington, (USA).
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gwinner