Some problems in identification of origins of lesser snow geese by chemical profiles

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Abstract
Results are reported of experimental work done to clarify problems and unknowns involved in identifying origins of lesser snow geese through computer-controlled, X-ray spectrometric analyses of primary flight feathers. Materials from wild and captive populations of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) were used. The use of an X-ray tube source of irradiation was successfully introduced to previously described techniques. Practical investigation of sample size for the generation of discriminant functions suggests that 30 samples per population are a barely adequate minimum and that 40 or more should be used.Given adequate sample sizes, and suitably different populations, the classification process overrides differences attributable to sex, age, and "Feather year" with great accuracy. With small sample sizes, however, those differences will dampen the accuracy of discrimination and classification, as will increasing numbers of populations. Examination of feathers from a captive flock, maintained for 4 years, shows statistically insignificant sexual differences, significant "within-year" changes in feather chemistry between October and May, and moderately consistent discrimination between year classes. Some of the chemical variables involved in the observed differences are examined.

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