Université de Sherbrooke
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: Dany Garant
Patrick Bergeron
Denis Réale, UQAM
Start: 2021-08-31

Project

Linking space use, burrow fidelity, and fitness in eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus)
The study of habitat selection by animals is of significant biological importance because it provides researchers with information about the resource requirements of a species. When a habitat includes resources that promote the survival and reproduction of an individual, the individual should be more likely to stay in that habitat to ensure future success. Animals may however shift space use in response to low abundance or quality of food resources. When an individual remains in or returns to a previously occupied site, the animal is considered to display site fidelity. Site-faithful individuals may benefit from increased information about the location and availability of nearby resources, landscape characteristics, presence of competitors and predators, and long-term familiarity with neighbors. My project aims to evaluate the relationship between space use, burrow fidelity and individual fitness in a wild population of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) in southern Québec. More specifically, I aim to determine if burrow fidelity and/or home range size and interannual stability influences survival and annual reproductive success in individuals of this population.

Keywords

Tamias striatus, Site fidelity, Home range, space use, Reproductive Success, Eastern chipmunk

Publications

1- Monitoring sitatunga ( Tragelaphus spekii ) populations using camera traps
Brownlee, Megan B., Camille H. Warbington, Mark S. Boyce
2022 African Journal of Ecology