Université de Sherbrooke
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Dany Garant
Patrick Bergeron
Start: 2019-04-29
End: 2020-12-31
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Project

Impact of the interactions between environment, population density, behaviour and physiology on population dynamics of eastern chipmunks
In the current context of climatic and environmental changes induced by anthropic activities, the future of animal populations is an important subject to be questioned. Studying population dynamics is needed to understand the reasons why population size varies over time and the adaptative processes allowing species to cope with environmental changes. My thesis aims at exploring the population dynamics of a wild eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) population in southern Québec, in relation to environmental variability, biodemography and individual phenotypes. The first chapter will focus on female reproductive strategies. The second chapter will investigate the trade-offs between survival and reproduction, while taking into account the environment and individual personality. The third chapter will analyze the population dynamics, while using the results from my second chapter. Finally, the fourth chapter of my thesis will evaluate the consequences of climatic variations on the future of this population of eastern chipmunks.

Keywords

Dynamiques des population/Population dynamics, Tamias striatus, Ecologie comportementale/Behavioural ecology, Changements climatiques/Climate changes, reproduction