François Vézina

Associate Professor,
Université du Québec à Rimouski

Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie
E-mail: francois_vezina@uqar.ca
Institution page




Research

My research focuses on cold acclimation, energy management strategies and reversible physiological compromises that allow birds to face environmental constraints. My work for the following year will deal with the physiological regulation of mechanisms involved with the acclimation of winter climate disturbances

QCBS students

Emily Cornelius Ruhs

Postdoctoral fellow
(Start: 2018)
Winter energetics and immune function of black-capped chickadees
Link to thesis (pdf)
Personal page

Ryan O'Connor

Postdoctoral fellow
(Start: 2018)
Using thermal modeling to predict the performance responses of Arctic snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) facing rapid environmental change

Baptiste Courtin

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love, Windsor University
(Start: 2022, End: 2026)
Energetics, reserve management and flight performance in wintering and migrating Snow Buntings

Émilie Desjardins

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Andrew Tam, Department of National Defence
(Start: 2021, End: 2024)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Dominique Berteaux
Conservation of biodiversity at the northernmost inhabited site on the planet in a context of global warming
Personal page

Inès Fache

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love, University of Windsor
(Start: 2022)
Study of the factors impacting the demographic dynamics of a migratory arctic passerine in North America: the snow bunting.

Sarah Payel

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Love, Oliver
(Start: 2021)
Are anthropogenic effects responsible for the decline of the snow bunting?

Sarah Senécal

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love
(Start: 2021, End: 2024)
Long-term consequences of individual performance in two costly life history stages

Marguerite Duchesne

M.Sc.
(Start: 2024)
The thermal insulation paradox in resident forest birds

Emmanuelle Gouin

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Non-Membre Oliver Love, University of Windsor
(Start: 2023)
High Arctic warming : the effects on the thermoregulation and reproduction of the snow bunting

Émilie Paris-Jodoin

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver P. Love
(Start: 2020)
Statégies de gestion des réserves énergétiques du plectrophane des neiges (Plectrophenax nivalis) lors de la migration printanière.
Personal page

Marianne Turcotte

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love, Université de Windsor
(Start: 2022, End: 2024)
Snow bunting's body composition and thermal conductance in the winter between sexes

Previous students (since 2009)

Quinn Fletcher

Postdoctoral fellow
(Start: 2014, End: 2014)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Dominique Berteaux
The effect of energetics on species interactions
Personal page

Fanny Hallot

Ph.D.
(Start: 2014, End: 2017)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Nathalie Rose Le François
Phenotypic flexibility and climatic variations

Audrey LE POGAM

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love
(Start: 2014, End: 2021)
Ajustements phénotypiques en réponse aux contraintes de l’environnement hivernal et de la migration chez le plectrophane des neiges

Myriam Milbergue

Ph.D.
(Start: 2012, End: 2017)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Pierre Blier
Endocrine regulation of winter acclimatization in non-migrating passerines

Magali Petit

Ph.D.
(Start: 2009, End: 2015)
Seasonal acclimatization and fitness in a small resident passerine, the black-capped chickadee

Thomas Zgirski

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Pierre Legagneux
(Start: 2016, End: 2020)
Les oiseaux communs comme indicateurs de la biodiversité – Une approche écophysiologique en milieu agricole et péri-urbain.

Justine Drolet

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver P. Love
(Start: 2017, End: 2019)
Thermal tolerance in snow buntings and potential effects of Arctic warming on individual performance

Karine Dubois

M.Sc.
(Start: 2012, End: 2015)
Rate of change in metabolic performance in response to thermal variations in three North-American passerine species

Marie-Pier Laplante

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Oliver Love, Université de Windsor
(Start: 2014, End: 2016)
Winter weight cycle and causes of winter nomadic movements in the snow bunting

Cynthia Lemieux

M.Sc.
(Start: 2014, End: 2015)
Contraintes printanières sur le succès reproducteur de deux espèces de passereaux forestiers

Agnès Lewden

M.Sc.
(Start: 2009, End: 2011)
Dominance sociale et performance métabolique

Clément Mandin

M.Sc.
(Start: 2009, End: 2012)
Marqueurs sanguins de la condition physiologique

Lyette Régimbald

M.Sc.
(Start: 2014, End: 2017)
Effet des variations thermiques sur la condition immunitaire et le stress oxydatif chez les oiseaux.

Limoilou-Amélie Renaud

M.Sc.
(Start: 2009, End: 2011)
Marqueurs endocrinien du stress chez le caribou

Julie-Camille Riva

M.Sc.
(Start: 2017, End: 2019)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Christian Nozais
Synchronie entre l’émergence de entomofaune et la reproduction des mésanges : qu’est ce qui se passe dans l’Est du Québec ?

Sarah Senécal

M.Sc.
(Start: 2017, End: 2019)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Christian Nozais
Influence of the energetic value and nutritional quality of preys on the feeding effort and reproductive success of chickadees considering the parents’ personality

Examples of species studied

Sturnus vulgaris
Junco hyemalis
Poecile atricapillus
Calidris canutus
Plectrophenax


Publications

77- Phenotypic constraints at the top of the world: an Arctic songbird faces the cumulative cost of maintaining a winter-like phenotype during breeding
Journal Article
Le Pogam A , O’Connor R S , Love O P , Young K G , Drolet J , Régimbald L , Roy G , Robitaille F , Berteaux D , Tam A , Vézina F ,
2024 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2024-04-21)

76- Vegetation biomass and topography are associated with seasonal habitat selection and fall translocation behavior in Arctic hares
Journal Article
Landry-Ducharme L , Lai S , Vézina F , Tam A , Berteaux D ,
2024 Oecologia (Date Added: 2024-04-04)

75- Under pressure—exploring partner changes, physiological responses and telomere dynamics in northern gannets across varying breeding conditions
Journal Article
Pelletier D , Blier P U , Vézina F , Dufresne F , Paquin F , Christen F , Guillemette M ,
2023 PeerJ (Date Added: 2023-12-28)

74- Born in the cold: contrasted thermal exchanges and maintenance costs in juvenile and adult snow buntings on their breeding and wintering grounds
Journal Article
Demers R , O’Connor R S , Le Pogam A , Young K G , Berteaux D , Tam A , Vézina F ,
2023 Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (Date Added: 2023-07-16)

73- Evidence for a maintenance cost for birds maintaining highly flexible basal, but not summit, metabolic rates
Journal Article
Swanson D L , Stager M , Vézina F , Liu J , McKechnie A E , Amirkhiz R G ,
2023 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2023-06-17)

72- Good times bad times — Unfavorable breeding conditions, more than divorce, lead to increased parental effort and reduced physiological condition of northern gannets
Journal Article
Pelletier D , Blier P , Vézina F , Guillemette M ,
2023 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2023-04-23)

71- Editorial: Avian behavioral and physiological responses to challenging thermal environments and extreme weather events
Journal Article
Swanson D L , Vézina F , McKechnie A E , Nord A ,
2022 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2022-10-18)

70- How does mitochondrial function relate to thermogenic capacity and basal metabolic rate in small birds?
Journal Article
Milbergue M S , Vézina F , Desrosiers V , Blier P U ,
2022 The Journal of experimental biology (Date Added: 2022-07-07)

69- Long-distance, synchronized and directional fall movements suggest migration in Arctic hares on Ellesmere Island (Canada)
Journal Article
Caron-Carrier J , Lai S , Vézina F , Tam A , Berteaux D ,
2022 Scientific reports (Date Added: 2022-04-05)

67- No common pesticides detected in snow buntings utilizing a farmland landscape in eastern Québec
Journal Article
Cornelius Ruhs E , Love O P , Drainville L , Vézina F ,
2021 Avian Conservation and Ecology (Date Added: 2022-01-28)

66- Snow Buntings Maintain Winter-Level Cold Endurance While Migrating to the High Arctic
Journal Article
Le Pogam A , O’Connor R S , Love O P , Drolet J , Régimbald L , Roy G , Laplante M , Berteaux D , Tam A , Vézina F ,
2021 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2021-10-17)

65- Early life neonicotinoid exposure results in proximal benefits and ultimate carryover effects
Journal Article
Zgirski T , Legagneux P , Chastel O , Regimbald L , Prouteau L , Le Pogam A , Budzinski H , Love O P , Vézina F ,
2021 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2021-08-11)

64- Limited heat tolerance in a cold-adapted seabird: Implications of a warming Arctic
Journal Article
,
2021 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2021-07-28)

61- Poor prey quality is compensated by higher provisioning effort in passerine birds
Journal Article
Senécal S , Riva J , O’Connor R S , Hallot F , Nozais C , Vézina F ,
2021 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2021-06-12)

58- Wintering snow buntings elevate cold hardiness to extreme levels but show no changes in maintenance costs
Journal Article
Le Pogam A , Love O P , Régimbald L , Dubois K , Hallot F , Milbergue M , Petit M , O’Connor R S , Vézina F ,
2020 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2020-10-26)

57- Consequences of being phenotypically mismatched with the environment: No evidence of oxidative stress in cold- And warm-acclimated birds facing a cold spell
Journal Article
Jimenez A G , Ruhs E C , Tobin K J , Anderson K N , Le Pogam A , Regimbald L , Vézina F ,
2020 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2020-05-27)

56- Consequences of being phenotypically mismatched with the environment: rapid muscle ultrastructural changes in cold-shocked black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)
Journal Article
Vézina F , Cornelius Ruhs E , O’Connor E S , Le Pogam A , Régimbald L , Love O P , Jimenez A G ,
2020 American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology (Date Added: 2020-02-04)

55- WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING OF AN AVIPOXVIRUS ASSOCIATED WITH INFECTIONS IN A GROUP OF AVIARY-HOUSED SNOW BUNTINGS (PLECTROPHENAX NIVALIS)
Journal Article
,
2020 Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (Date Added: 2020-01-19)

54- Who pays the bill? The effects of altered brood size on parental and nestling physiology
Journal Article
Cornelius Ruhs E , Vézina F , Walker M A , Karasov W H ,
2019 Journal of Ornithology (Date Added: 2019-11-12)

53- Tracking Landscape-Scale Movements of Snow Buntings and Weather-Driven Changes in Flock Composition During the Temperate Winter
Journal Article
Mckinnon E A , Laplante M , Love O P , Fraser K C , Mackenzie S , Vézina F ,
2019 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2019-10-15)

52- Flexible response to short-term weather in a cold-adapted songbird
Journal Article
Laplante M , McKinnon E A , Love O P , Vézina F ,
2019 Journal of Avian Biology (Date Added: 2019-03-10)

51- Physiological and Immune Responses of Free-Living Temperate Birds Provided a Gradient of Food Supplementation
Journal Article
Cornelius Ruhs E , Vézina F , Karasov W H ,
2019 Physiological and biochemical zoology : PBZ (Date Added: 2019-01-19)

50- Large muscles are beneficial but not required for improving thermogenic capacity in small birds
Journal Article
Milbergue M S , Blier P U , Vézina F ,
2018 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2018-09-28)

49- The performing animal: Causes and consequences of body remodeling and metabolic adjustments in red knots facing contrasting thermal environments
Journal Article
Vézina F , Gerson A R , Guglielmo C G , Piersma T ,
2017 American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology (Date Added: 2017-08-16)

48- Body temperature responses to handling stress in wintering Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus L.)
Journal Article
Lewden A , Nord A , Petit M , Vézina F ,
2017 Physiology and Behavior (Date Added: 2017-06-14)

47- How low can you go? An adaptive energetic framework for interpreting basal metabolic rate variation in endotherms
Journal Article
Swanson D L , McKechnie A E , Vézina F ,
2017 Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (Date Added: 2017-04-27)

46- Reconstruction of Overlengthening after Gastrocnemius Recession with an Achilles Tendon Allograft: Case Report
Journal Article
Benny A , Balg F , Svotelis A , Vézina F ,
2016 Foot and Ankle International (Date Added: 2017-02-22)

45- Patellar taping alters knee kinematics during step descent in individuals with a meniscal injury: An exploratory study
Journal Article
Roy N , Gaudreault N , Tousignant M , Vézina F , Boudreau N ,
2016 Clinical Biomechanics (Date Added: 2017-02-22)

43- Chickadees Faced with Unpredictable Food Increase Fat Reserves but Certain Components of Their Immune Function Decline
Journal Article
Cornelius, EA, Vézina, F, Regimbald, L, Hallot, F, Petit, M, Love, OP, Karasov, WH
2016 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2017-02-05)

42- Increasing Winter Maximal Metabolic Rate Improves Intrawinter Survival in Small Birds
Journal Article
Petit, M, Clavijo-Baquet, S, Vézina, F
2016 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2017-02-05)

41- Basal and maximal metabolic rates differ in their response to rapid temperature change among avian species
Journal Article
Dubois, K, Hallot, F, Vézina, F
2016 Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (Date Added: 2016-08-01)

40- Environmental, ecological and mechanistic drivers of avian seasonal metabolic flexibility in response to cold winters
Journal Article
Swanson, DL, Vézina, F
2015 J. Ornithol (Date Added: 2016-06-22)

39- Nutritional stress in Northern gannets during an unprecedented low reproductive success year: Can extreme sea surface temperature event and dietary change be the cause?
Journal Article
Franci, CD, Vézina, F, Grégoire, F, Rail, J-F, Verreault, J
2015 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology (Date Added: 2016-06-22)

38- Individual inconsistencies in basal and summit metabolic rate highlight flexibility of metabolic performance in a wintering passerine
Journal Article
Cortes, PA, Petit, M, Lewden, A, Milbergue, M, Vézina, F
2015 Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological Genetics and Physiology (Date Added: 2016-01-15)

37- Estimation of muscle mass by ultrasonography differs between observers and life states of models in small birds
Journal Article
Royer-Boutin, P, Cortés, PA, Milbergue, M, Petit, M, Vézina, F
2015 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2015-05-03)

36- Lipid metabolites as markers of fattening rate in a non-migratory passerine: Effects of ambient temperature and individual variation
Journal Article
Devost, I, Hallot, F, Milbergue, M, Petit, M, Vézina, F
2014 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology (Date Added: 2015-01-07)

35- How does flexibility in body composition relate to seasonal changes in metabolic performance in a small passerine wintering at northern latitude?
Journal Article
Petit, M, Lewden, A, Vézina, F
2014 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2015-01-07)

34- Evidence of facultative daytime hypothermia in a small passerine wintering at northern latitudes
Journal Article
Lewden, A, Petit, M, Milbergue, M, Orio, S, Vézina, F
2014 Ibis (Date Added: 2015-01-07)

32- A novel integrative method for measuring body condition in ecological studies based on physiological dysregulation
Journal Article
Milot, E, Cohen, AA, Vézina, F, Buehler, DM, Matson, KD, Piersma, T
2014 Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

31- Phenotype manipulations confirm the role of pectoral muscles and haematocrit in avian maximal thermogenic capacity
Journal Article
Petit, M, Vézina, F
2014 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2014-03-18)

29- Independence among physiological traits suggests flexibility in the face of ecological demands on phenotypes
Journal Article
Buehler, DM, Vézina, F, Goymann, W, Schwabl, I, Versteegh, M, Tieleman, BI, Piersma, T
2012 Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Date Added: 2012-09-25)

28- Daily variation in markers of nutritional condition in wintering Black-capped Chickadees Poecile atricapillus
Journal Article
Mandin, C, Vézina, F
2012 Ibis (Date Added: 2012-09-19)

27- Dominant black-capped chickadees pay no maintenance energy costs for their wintering status and are not better at enduring cold than subordinate individuals
Journal Article
Lewden, A, Petit, M, Vézina, F
2012 Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

26- Phenotypic compromises in a long-distance migrant during the transition from migration to reproduction in the High Arctic
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Williams, TD, Piersma, T, Guy Morrison, RI
2012 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

25- Shorebirds' seasonal adjustments in thermogenic capacity are reflected by changes in body mass: How preprogrammed and instantaneous acclimation work together
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2011 Integrative and Comparative Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

24- Evidence for within-individual energy reallocation in cold-challenged, egg-producing birds
Journal Article
Salvante, KG, Vézina, F, Williams, TD
2010 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

22- Ambient temperature does not affect fuelling rate in absence of digestive constraints in long-distance migrant shorebird fuelling up in captivity
Journal Article
Petit, M, Vézina, F, Piersma, T
2010 Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

21- Phenotypic compromise in the face of conflicting ecological demands: An example in red knots Calidris canutus
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2010 Journal of Avian Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

20- Limited access to food and physiological trade-offs in a long-distance migrant shorebird. II. Constitutive immune function and the acute-phase response
Journal Article
Buehler, DM, Encinas-Viso, F, Petit, M, Vézina, F, Tieleman, BI, Piersma, T
2009 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

19- Hormonal correlates and thermoregulatory consequences of molting on metabolic rate in a northerly wintering shorebird
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Gustowska, A, Jalvingh, KM, Chastel, O, Piersma, T
2009 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

18- Limited access to food and physiological trade-offs in a long-distance migrant shorebird. I. Energy metabolism, behavior, and body-mass regulation
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Petit, M, Buehler, DM, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2009 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

17- Individually variable energy management during egg production is repeatable across breeding attempts
Journal Article
Williams, TD, Vézina, F, Speakman, JR
2009 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

16- Shifts in metabolic demands in growing altricial nestlings illustrate context-specific relationships between basal metabolic rate and body composition
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Love, OP, Lessard, M, Williams, TD
2009 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

15- Thermogenic side effects to migratory predisposition in shorebirds
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Jalvingh, KM, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2007 American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

14- Individually variable energy management strategies in relation to energetic costs of egg production
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Speakman, JR, Williams, TD
2006 Ecology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

13- Acclimation to different thermal conditions in a northerly wintering shorebird is driven by body mass-related changes in organ size
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Jalvingh, KM, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2006 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

12- Erratum: Acclimation to different thermal conditions in a northerly wintering shorebird is driven by body mass-related changes in organ size (Journal of Experimental Biology 209, (3141-3154))
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Jalvingh, KM, Dekinga, A, Piersma, T
2006 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

10- The metabolic cost of egg production is repeatable
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Williams, TD
2005 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

9- Individual variation in plasma estradiol-17? and androgen levels during egg formation in the European starling Sturnus vulgaris: Implications for regulation of yolk steroids
Journal Article
Williams, TD, Kitaysky, AS, Vézina, F
2004 General and Comparative Endocrinology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

8- Mediation of a corticosterone-induced reproductive conflict
Journal Article
Love, OP, Breuner, CW, Vézina, F, Williams, TD
2004 Hormones and Behavior (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

7- What causes the decrease in haematocrit during egg production?
Journal Article
Williams, TD, Challenger, WO, Christians, JK, Evanson, M, Love, O, Vézina, F
2004 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

6- The metabolic cost of avian egg formation: Possible impact of yolk precursor production?
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Salvante, KG, Williams, TD
2003 Journal of Experimental Biology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

5- Plasticity in Body Composition in Breeding Birds: What Drives the Metabolic Costs of Egg Production?
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Williams, TD
2003 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

4- Metabolic costs of egg production in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Williams, TD
2002 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

3- Follicular development and plasma yolk precursor dynamics through the laying cycle in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Journal Article
Challenger, WO, Williams, TD, Christians, JK, Vézina, F
2001 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

2- An automated system for the measurement of mass and identification of birds at perches
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Charlebois, D, Thomas, DW
2001 Journal of Field Ornithology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)

1- Social status does not affect resting metabolic rate in wintering dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)
Journal Article
Vézina, F, Thomas, DW
2000 Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (Date Added: 2012-07-04)