Article
Ecology
Andreanne Beardsell, Dominique Gravel, Jeanne Clermont, Dominique Berteaux, Gilles Gauthier, Joel Bety
Summary: Research shows that in the arctic tundra, changes in predator foraging behavior in response to prey density play a significant role in generating positive indirect effects between prey that share a predator.
Article
Ecology
Sean M. Johnson-Bice, James D. Roth, John H. Markham
Summary: Most animal ecology studies using remote sensing data focus on the effects of environmental characteristics on animal abundance, distribution, or behavior. This study demonstrates the potential of high-resolution data to explore how animals, specifically Arctic foxes, shape ecosystems. The research shows that Arctic fox denning activity has significant effects on vegetation productivity and phenology, converting low-productivity areas into high-productivity sites. By using remote sensing technologies, this study enhances our understanding of animal functional roles and ecosystem dynamics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yongdong Peng, Hong Li, Zhengzhu Liu, Chuansheng Zhang, Keqiang Li, Yuanfang Gong, Liying Geng, Jingjing Su, Xuemin Guan, Lei Liu, Ruihong Zhou, Ziya Zhao, Jianxu Guo, Qiqi Liang, Xianglong Li
Summary: The study utilized PacBio sequencing and chromosome structure capture technique to assemble the first high-quality genome of Arctic fox. The genome assembly revealed a high percentage of repeat sequences and provided insights into the genetic adaptations of the Arctic fox to extreme climate conditions. This assembled genome will not only facilitate future studies on genetic diversity and evolution in foxes and other canids, but also serve as an important resource for conservation of Arctic species.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Frederic Dulude-de Broin, Jeanne Clermont, Andreanne Beardsell, Louis-Pierre Ouellet, Pierre Legagneux, Joel Bety, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: This study investigates the complex ecological relationships between seven prey species sharing a common predator. The results show that the abundance of clumped and spatially predictable prey leads to a reduction in predator home range size, an increase in local predator density, and a significant decrease in the nest survival rate of incidental prey. In contrast, the scattered cyclic prey has a weaker effect on predator space use and an overall positive impact on the survival rate of specific prey. The contrasting effects highlight the importance of studying predator behavioral responses in multiprey systems and explicitly integrating behavioral-numerical responses in multispecies predator-prey models.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Birte Technau, Ester Rut Unnsteinsdottir, Fokje L. Schaafsma, Susanne Kuhn
Summary: This study investigated the potential of using Arctic fox feces as a monitoring tool for plastic pollution in the Arctic environment. The results showed that plastic and other anthropogenic debris were found in fecal samples from different regions and years, but the overall uptake was low and the source of debris was unclear, making data interpretation difficult.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Anna Lotsander, Malin Hasselgren, Malin Larm, Johan Wallen, Anders Angerbjorn, Karin Noren
Summary: The study found that natural genetic rescue in a small population of Scandinavian Arctic foxes did not lead to elevated fitness in immigrant F2 and F3 compared to native inbred foxes, and the overall inbreeding levels showed an increasing trend. Continuous gene flow may be crucial for the long-term recovery and persistence of small and threatened populations.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
P. S. Ungar, B. Van Valkenburgh, N. Sokolova, I Fufachev, V Filippova, K. Shklyar, A. Sokolov
Summary: Increased human presence in the Arctic may impact its vulnerable ecosystems, including the Arctic and red foxes. A study conducted on Arctic foxes in proximity to human settlements found that there was a significant decrease in tooth wear and breakage, indicating a dietary shift towards softer human-derived foods.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Peipei Wu, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Erwan Monier, Yanxu Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates that as trophic levels increase, biomagnification of MMHg becomes more significant. Trophic magnification factors show opposite spatial patterns between lower and higher trophic levels. With a warmer future climate, global average TMF is projected to increase, leading to higher MMHg exposure for top predators, such as humans, if no mitigation measures for Hg emission are implemented.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Malin Larm, Karin Noren, Anders Angerbjorn
Summary: The study focuses on the effects of tourism disturbance on the diurnal activity pattern and vigilance of breeding arctic foxes at den sites. Results show that high intensity tourism leads to increased daytime activity at the den site, contrary to the increased nocturnality observed in studies of other species. The difference is attributed to the higher cost of avoiding a key site for the animal compared to avoiding general human disturbance in the animal's distribution range.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Peter S. Ungar, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Alexandria S. Peterson, Aleksandr A. Sokolov, Natalia A. Sokolova, Dorothee Ehrich, Ivan A. Fufachev, Olivier Gilg, Alexandra Terekhina, Alexander Volkovitskiy, Viktor Shtro
Summary: This study investigated the potential of dental evidence as a proxy for diet and food choice in the Arctic fox. Results showed differences in dental wear between Arctic foxes from the north and south of the Yamal Peninsula, suggesting variation in feeding ecology due to changes in food availability across space and time.
Article
Ecology
Ricardo J. Albarino, Gerard P. Closs, Christoph D. Matthaei, Colin R. Townsend, Daniel Zamorano
Summary: This study experimentally manipulated the abundance of invertebrate grazers and fish in a stream in New Zealand and found that controlling herbivore abundance had an indirect positive effect on primary producers. It also found that in the center of larger substrate particles, grazers faced higher predation risk and therefore experienced lower grazing pressure.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Rodrigo H. Munoz-Cordovez, Sergio A. Carrasco, F. Patricio Ojeda, Alejandro Perez-Matus
Summary: The study looked at the trophic impact of two predators on their shared prey, the porcelain crab, in different treatments. Results showed that the effects of different predators on prey mortality varied depending on the initial prey density.
Article
Microbiology
Kayla Buhler, Emilie Bouchard, Stacey Elmore, Gustaf Samelius, Jessica Jackson, Matilde Tomaselli, Heather Fenton, Ray Alisauskas, Emily Jenkins
Summary: Tularemia is a zoonotic disease that may expand its range with warming temperatures. In the Canadian Arctic, arctic foxes serve as sentinels for the disease, with seroprevalence varying with climate and rodent populations. High seroprevalence was observed in 2018, following a peak in vole abundance in 2017, and antibodies were detected in fox pups born in subsequent years. Climate factors such as high summer precipitation, increased snow cover, and higher vole abundance were associated with increased seroprevalence in live-captured foxes.
Article
Ecology
Andrew T. Davidson, Elizabeth A. Hamman, Michael W. McCoy, James R. Vonesh
Summary: Warming can alter the rate at which predators consume prey and prey develop, impacting consumer-resource interactions. The differential effects of temperature on predator and prey responses determine the overall effect of predation on prey survival, either reducing or maintaining predation strength across a temperature gradient. More mechanistic understanding is needed to predict how warming affects food web dynamics accurately.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Stacey A. Elmore, Christine Fehlner-Gardiner, Emilie Bouchard, Gustaf Samelius, Ray T. Alisauskas, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Richard B. Chipman, Emily J. Jenkins, Amy T. Gilbert
Summary: A retrospective analysis of sera from 41 arctic foxes in Nunavut, Canada, revealed an estimated RABV antibody prevalence of 15%.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Yannick Seyer, Gilles Gauthier, Jean-Francois Therrien
Summary: In long-lived seabirds, social monogamy and mate and site fidelity are common due to the cost entailed by site change and divorce such as delayed laying or reduced reproductive success. We used 13 years of monitoring data from marked Long-tailed Jaegers Stercorarius longicaudus in the Canadian High Arctic to quantify mate and site fidelity. The study found that faithful mates had higher site fidelity but mate change did not affect laying date or nesting success. The Arctic tundra's short summer and high unpredictability of resources likely favor high site and mate fidelity in this species.
Article
Ecology
David Bolduc, Dominique Fauteux, Catherine A. Gagnon, Gilles Gauthier, Joel Bety, Pierre Legagneux
Summary: Long-term monitoring of wildlife populations has contributed greatly to our understanding of population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. However, a large portion of biodiversity remains unmonitored, and the dynamics of certain key species are still unclear. This study proposes a method using testimonials from field workers to reconstruct past abundances of unmonitored populations. The results show that these testimonials can be used to detect ecological phenomena and provide valuable information for understanding ecosystem functioning.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Thierry Grandmont, Peter Fast, Ilona Grentzmann, Gilles Gauthier, Joel Bety, Pierre Legagneux
Summary: This study investigates the effects of environmental perturbation during spring migration on subsequent breeding parameters in a long-lived bird species. The results show that only breeding propensity is affected by the manipulation, and individuals can overcome the effects under normal or good environmental conditions at the breeding site.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lucas Deschamps, Vincent Maire, Lin Chen, Daniel Fortier, Gilles Gauthier, Amelie Morneault, Elisabeth Hardy-Lachance, Isabelle Dalcher-Gosselin, Francois Tanguay, Charles Gignac, Jeffrey M. McKenzie, Line Rochefort, Esther Levesque
Summary: Understanding the feedbacks caused by the release of carbon stored in permafrost and the direct impacts of climate variations on permafrost dynamics is crucial. Indirect effects of global change, such as changes in soil nutrient availability and grazing pressure, can also impact soil properties and heat transfer in the Arctic tundra, affecting the resilience of Arctic ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Gravel, Sandra Lai, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: This study investigated the long-distance dispersal behavior of adult and juvenile Arctic foxes and found differences between the two life stages. Juveniles were more likely to engage in long-distance dispersal, traveling for longer periods and over longer distances, but spending similar proportions of their time on sea ice versus land. These results are critical for understanding the genetic structure of Arctic foxes and their potential role in spreading zoonotic diseases across vast geographical areas.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Paul Agnani, Vincent Careau
Summary: Given that organismal performance sets the limit for behavior, there are likely co-adaptations between performance and behavioral traits. Performance might compensate for risky behaviors, allowing bold individuals to sprint faster and for longer. Performance could also be co-specialized with behavior to reduce predation risk, allowing shy individuals to sprint faster and for longer.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Merlin Caron-Levesque, Vincent Careau
Summary: Host behaviour plays a role in the acquisition of ectoparasites, and the presence of fleas affects tick parasitism in white-footed mice. Tick and flea parasitism have contrasting effects on the mice's movement in a novel environment, with ticks negatively affecting distance moved and fleas positively affecting it when ticks are absent. Grooming behaviour does not show a relationship with parasite presence. Co-occurring parasite species may differentially affect host behaviour or vice versa.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Marianne Gousy-Leblanc, Jean-Francois Therrien, Thomas Broquet, Delphine Rioux, Nadine Curt-Grand-Gaudin, Nathalie Tissot, Sophie Tissot, Ildiko Szabo, Laurie Wilson, Jack T. Evans, Victoria Bowes, Gilles Gauthier, Karen L. Wiebe, Glenn Yannic, Nicolas Lecomte
Summary: Genetic analysis revealed low genetic differentiation among Snowy Owls in North America and indicated high genetic intermixing and effective dispersal at the continental scale. The population demographic reconstruction showed a steady decline of North American Snowy Owls since the Last Glacial Maximum, coinciding with global temperature increases. This study suggests that conservation programmes should consider North American Snowy Owls as a genetically homogeneous continental-wide population and acknowledge their sensitivity to long-term global warming since the Last Glacial Maximum.
Article
Ecology
Mathilde Poirier, Gilles Gauthier, Florent Domine, Dominique Fauteux
Summary: This study investigated the winter nests of small mammals and snow physical properties in 4 different habitats (wetland, shrubland, mesic, and riparian) on Bylot Island in the Canadian High Arctic over a period of 13 years and 6 years, respectively. It was found that riparian habitat was the most intensively used by small mammals in winter, as this habitat had faster snow accumulation, the deepest snowpack, and highest temperature in the basal snow layer. However, in the deepest snowpacks, the basal depth hoar layer was denser and less developed, which negatively affected lemming reproduction. Shrubland was considered a habitat of moderate quality due to a soft basal snow layer and deep snowpack, but snow conditions in this habitat depended on weather conditions at the beginning of winter. With climate change, a hardening of the basal snowpack layer and delayed snow accumulation could negatively impact lemming habitats and populations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emilie Desjardins, Sandra Lai, Laurent Houle, Alain Caron, Veronique Theriault, Andrew Tam, Francois Vezina, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: The use of remote sensing in Arctic land cover mapping has increased significantly in the last 20 years, especially for monitoring climate change. The challenge lies in linking satellite imagery to ground covers due to the spatial heterogeneity of Arctic ecosystems. Currently, there is no commonly accepted methodological scheme, but sharing lessons learned and best practices would benefit remote sensing in Arctic ecosystem mapping.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Catherine A. Gagnon, Sandra Hamel, Don E. Russell, James Andre, Annie Buckle, David Haogak, Jessi Pascal, Esau Schafer, Todd Powell, Michael Y. Svoboda, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: This study builds a model based on Indigenous and scientific knowledge to investigate the social-ecological system of caribou in the circumpolar North. The findings demonstrate that environmental conditions, caribou demography, and cultural practices affect hunters' ability to meet their needs. This research enhances our understanding of the complex relationships between ecosystems and human well-being.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Frederic Dulude-de Broin, Jeanne Clermont, Andreanne Beardsell, Louis-Pierre Ouellet, Pierre Legagneux, Joel Bety, Dominique Berteaux
Summary: This study investigates the complex ecological relationships between seven prey species sharing a common predator. The results show that the abundance of clumped and spatially predictable prey leads to a reduction in predator home range size, an increase in local predator density, and a significant decrease in the nest survival rate of incidental prey. In contrast, the scattered cyclic prey has a weaker effect on predator space use and an overall positive impact on the survival rate of specific prey. The contrasting effects highlight the importance of studying predator behavioral responses in multiprey systems and explicitly integrating behavioral-numerical responses in multispecies predator-prey models.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Andreanne Beardsell, Dominique Berteaux, Frederic Dulude-De Broin, Gilles Gauthier, Jeanne Clermont, Dominique Gravel, Joel Bety
Summary: This study investigated whether the presence of one prey species affects the population growth rate of another prey species. By using predator-mediated multi-prey models and population matrix models, the researchers quantified the interaction strength. The study showed that the positive effect of geese on sandpipers' nesting success was outweighed by the negative effect of an increase in fox density, leading to the local exclusion of sandpipers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gilles Gauthier, Marie-Christine Cadieux, Dominique Berteaux, Joel Bety, Dominique Fauteux, Pierre Legagneux, Esther Levesque, Catherine A. Gagnon
Summary: This study presents the research activities and findings from the Bylot Island Field Station in the Canadian Arctic, a hotspot of biodiversity. The research started in the late 1980s, primarily focusing on greater snow goose ecology and its impact on tundra vegetation. It has since expanded to encompass the entire vertebrate food web and has become one of the most comprehensive ecological monitoring programs in the region. The study's contribution to the field of ecology, particularly in understanding predator-prey interactions in the Arctic food web, has been significant and has supported management decisions and international efforts to assess Arctic biodiversity.
Meeting Abstract
Zoology
A. Lewden, R. S. O'Connor, K. G. Young, F. Robitaille, O. P. Love, K. H. Elliott, A. L. Hargreaves, D. Berteaux, A. Tam, N. Koutroulides, F. Vezina
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2023)