McGill University
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Kyle Elliott
Olivier Chastel (CEBC-CNRS, France)
Start: 2018-09-01

Project

Seasonal interactions and stress physiology in a Arctic-breeding seabird
Arctic-migrating species are exposed to various environmental conditions during their annual cycle as they travel among regions and habitats. Environmental stressors (e.g. food shortage) occurring during one season can have residual effects on the next season. These carry-over effects can have tremendous impacts on both reproductive success and future survival, potentially through higher stress levels. However, the mechanisms underlying the modulation of the response of individuals facing multiple stressors are still unclear. Using a unique dataset of 20 years of breeding monitoring and 10 years of migration tracking, I will investigate the interactions between migratory and reproductive behaviours mediated by stress-induced carry-over effects in a seabird species breeding in the High-Arctic (Svalbard, Norway), the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).

Keywords

Migration ecology, Stress physiology, Arctic, Carry-over effects, Geolocators, seabird, rissa tridactyla

Publications

1- Vulnerability to predation may affect species distribution: plovers with broader arctic breeding range nest in safer habitat
Léandri-Breton, Don-Jean, Joël Bêty
2020 Scientific Reports

2- Seasonal variation in migration strategies used to cross ecological barriers in a Nearctic migrant wintering in Africa
Léandri‐Breton, Don‐Jean, Jean‐François Lamarre, Joël Bêty
2019 Journal of Avian Biology

3- A rare dark morph in the Canadian Arctic raises questions about molting and polymorphism in Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Léandri-Breton, Don-Jean, Mikaël Jaffré, Joël Bêty
2018 The Wilson Journal of Ornithology