LIFE HISTORY STUDIES OF THE LESSER SNOW GOOSE (ANSER CAERULESCENS CAERULESCENS). III. THE SELECTIVE VALUE OF PLUMAGE POLYMORPHISM: NET FECUNDITY

Between 1969 and 1977 the frequency of the blue phenotype of the dimorphic Lesser Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) showed a steady increase at the La Pérouse Bay colony near Churchill, Manitoba. Cooch (1961, 1963) suggested the global increase resulted from selection pressures favoring blue individuals. The selection hypothesis was evaluated by examining phenotypic differences in net fecundity. We partitioned the reproductive cycle into a series of stages, each defined by a particular index of fecundity. Despite large samples we were unable to detect any significant differences between the two maternal phenotypes in those indices that could conceivably influence population dynamics. We cannot, however, dismiss selection as the mechanism of population change, nor as a contributor to the maintenance of the polymorphism without assessing potential phenotypic differences in viability, age of maturation, and breeding propensity. These attributes are examined in the following paper (Rockwell et al., 1985).