Université de Sherbrooke
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Fanie Pelletier
Andreas Zedrosser, University College of Southeast Norway
Start: 2015-01-01
End: 2019-08-31

Project

Maternal care in Scandinavian brown bears in a context of high hunting pressure
Using a long-term study (>30 years) on Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos), I study the causes of variation in the duration of maternal care in this wild carnivore. I evaluate factors linked with maternal characteristics, but also consider the potential effect of the high hunting pressure applied on this population. Indeed, family groups (females with dependent offspring) are provided legal protection from hunting, which may cause artificial selection for a lengthening of the duration of maternal care. Because such phenotypic change would lead to a reduction in female fecundity, I am also interested in evaluating the demographic consequences of variations in the duration of maternal care.

Keywords

Dynamiques des population/Population dynamics, Traits d'histoire de vie/life history traits, evolution

Publications

1- Can hunting data be used to estimate unbiased population parameters? A case study on brown bears
Leclerc, Martin, Joanie Van de Walle, Andreas Zedrosser, Jon E. Swenson, Fanie Pelletier
2016 Biology Letters

2- Stomach Temperature Records Reveal Nursing Behaviour and Transition to Solid Food Consumption in an Unweaned Mammal, the Harbour Seal Pup (Phoca vitulina)
Caroline C. Sauvé, Joanie Van de Walle, Mike O. Hammill, John P. Y. Arnould, Gwénaël Beauplet
2014 PLoS ONE