Diel rhythmicity of activity and corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle geese during breeding

Birds that migrate from temperate areas to the Arctic to breed lose their strongest Zeitgeber of circadian organization when they cross the Arctic circle in spring – the 24h light-dark cycle. Under continuous daylight, diverse behavioral and physiological patterns have been detected in both free-ranging and laboratory animals. To better understand the evolution of plasticity in circadian clocks, it is essential to study behavioral and physiological rhythmicity in the context of a species’ ecology. Employing a multifaceted approach, which included wildlife cameras, accelerometers, and noninvasive sampling of hormone metabolites, we investigated activity patterns and corticosterone rhythmicity in a migratory herbivore, the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis), during its Arctic breeding season on Svalbard. We found that females showed a combination of both ultradian and diel rhythmicity in nest recesses and sleep during incubation. In both parents, these rhythms in activity continued also during the gosling rearing phase. During molt, many geese aligned activity with the prevailing tidal rhythm. Barnacle geese showed weak diel rhythmicity in excreted corticosterone metabolites (CORTm). This suggests that while Arctic geese may adopt an alternative Zeitgeber during the Arctic summer to maintain a diel rhythm, ultradian rhythmicity remains essential, allowing the geese to flexibly adjust their rhythms to environmental conditions.