Université Laval
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Pierre Legagneux
Marc-André Villard, SÉPAQ
Start: 2023-01-09
End: 2027-04-30

Project

EFFECTS OF TRAIL USE AND TYPE OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY ON THE BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF TWO BIRD SPECIES
National parks have a dual mission: to conserve biodiversity and to provide the general public with access to natural spaces. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to lockdowns, the number of people visiting green spaces increased significantly. This growing popularity of parks intensifies human pressure on wildlife, even within protected areas. Since the mere presence of humans is often perceived by wild animals as a predation risk, they frequently exhibit behaviors aimed at avoiding humans. Some species, however, are capable of becoming accustomed to this source of disturbance. These behavioral changes can have repercussions for fitness and potentially translate into demographic shifts. In the context of biodiversity loss—driven, among other factors, by habitat loss and degradation—protected areas serve as refuges for many species. However, numerous studies have shown that human presence in protected areas has a negative impact on bird diversity, abundance, or reproduction. Conversely, the mechanisms underlying these observed impacts are less well documented. Yet, such an understanding is essential for developing informed conservation plans.This project aims to determine how the intensity of human visitation and the type of recreational activity occurring on trails affect the behavior and reproductive success of two forest bird species: the Wood Thrush (*Hylocichla mustelina*) and the Barred Owl (*Strix varia*). Specifically, we will assess the consequences of such disturbance on the reproductive success of both species, as well as their behavioral responses. To do this, we will experimentally isolate the effects of visitation levels and types of recreational activity on habitat use and the movements of Barred Owls, which will be monitored via telemetry. This project will be conducted in Mont-Saint-Bruno and Oka National Parks—two of the most heavily visited parks within the SÉPAQ network.To conduct this study, we will use camera traps to determine the frequency of use of trails by different types of recreational activities. In parallel, we will monitor the reproduction of two focal species along trails that vary in their level of human visitation. Finally, we will attach GPS/GSM cellular transmitters to owls and expose them to experimental variations in human presence to quantify changes in their space use and home ranges. This project aims to improve our understanding of how birds respond to human presence—a prerequisite for developing management measures that can effectively reduce human impact on biodiversity.

Keywords

Dérangement humain, Sentiers récréatifs, Reproduction aviaire, Aires protégés, Conservation

Publications

1- COVID19-induced reduction in human disturbance enhances fattening of an overabundant goose species
LeTourneux, Frédéric, Thierry Grandmont, Frédéric Dulude-de Broin, Marie-Claude Martin, Josée Lefebvre, Akiko Kato, Joël Bêty, Gilles Gauthier, Pierre Legagneux
2021 Biological Conservation

2- Should I breed or should I go? Manipulating individual state during migration influences breeding decisions in a long‐lived bird species
Grandmont, Thierry, Peter Fast, Ilona Grentzmann, Gilles Gauthier, Joel Bêty, Pierre Legagneux
2023 Functional Ecology

3- Additional data confirms the impact of the COVID19 lockdown on the behavior and fattening of migratory snow geese
LeTourneux, Frédéric, Frédéric Dulude-de Broin, Thierry Grandmont, Marie-Claude Martin, Joël Bêty, Gilles Gauthier, Pierre Legagneux
2023 Biological Conservation

4- Worth the dip? Polar bear predation on swimming flightless greater snow geese and estimation of energetic efficiency
Weiss-Blais, Matthieu, David Bolduc, Madeleine-Zoé Corbeil-Robitaille, Frédéric Dulude-de Broin, Thierry Grandmont, Frédéric LeTourneux, Mathilde Poirier, Denis Sarrazin, Pierre Legagneux
2024 Arctic Science

5- Densité et succès reproducteur de la grive des bois (Hylocichla mustelina) dans les parcs nationaux d’Oka et du Mont-Saint-Bruno
Villard, Marc-André, Thierry Grandmont, Mathieu Lemay, René Charest
2024 Le Naturaliste canadien

6- Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment
Bates, Amanda E., Richard B. Primack, Brandy S. Biggar, Tomas J. Bird, Mary E. Clinton, Rylan J. Command, Cerren Richards, Marc Shellard, Nathan R. Geraldi, Valeria Vergara, Orlando Acevedo-Charry, Zuania Colón-Piñeiro, David Ocampo, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, Lina M. Sánchez-Clavijo, Cristian M. Adamescu, Sorin Cheval, Tudor Racoviceanu, Matthew D. Adams, Egide Kalisa, Vincent Z. Kuuire, Vikram Aditya, Pia Anderwald, Samuel Wiesmann, Sonja Wipf, Gal Badihi, Matthew G. Henderson, Hanspeter Loetscher, Katja Baerenfaller, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Fabio Bulleri, Iacopo Bertocci, Elena Maggi, Luca Rindi, Chiara Ravaglioli, Kristina Boerder, Julien Bonnel, Delphine Mathias, Philippe Archambault, Laurent Chauvaud, Camrin D. Braun, Simon R. Thorrold, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Jonathan D. Midwood, Christine M. Boston, Jill L. Brooks, Steven J. Cooke, Victor China, Uri Roll, Jonathan Belmaker, Assaf Zvuloni, Marta Coll, Miquel Ortega, Brendan Connors, Lisa Lacko, Dinusha R.M. Jayathilake, Mark J. Costello, Theresa M. Crimmins, LoriAnne Barnett, Ellen G. Denny, Katharine L. Gerst, R.L. Marsh, Erin E. Posthumus, Reilly Rodriguez, Alyssa Rosemartin, Sara N. Schaffer, Jeff R. Switzer, Kevin Wong, Susan J. Cunningham, Petra Sumasgutner, Arjun Amar, Robert L. Thomson, Miqkayla Stofberg, Sally Hofmeyr, Jessleena Suri, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Paul B. Day, Graham J. Edgar, Antonia T. Cooper, Fabio Cabrera De Leo, Grant Garner, Paulson G. Des Brisay, Michael B. Schrimpf, Nicola Koper, Michael S. Diamond, Ross G. Dwyer, Cameron J. Baker, Craig E. Franklin, Ron Efrat, Oded Berger-Tal, Ohad Hatzofe, Víctor M. Eguíluz, Jorge P. Rodríguez, Juan Fernández-Gracia, David Elustondo, Vicent Calatayud, Philina A. English, Stephanie K. Archer, Sarah E. Dudas, Dana R. Haggarty, Austin J. Gallagher, Brendan D. Shea, Oliver N. Shipley, Ben L. Gilby, Jasmine Ballantyne, Andrew D. Olds, Christopher J. Henderson, Thomas A. Schlacher, William D. Halliday, Nicholas A.W. Brown, Mackenzie B. Woods, Sigal Balshine, Francis Juanes, Mitchell J. Rider, Patricia S. Albano, Neil Hammerschlag, Graeme C. Hays, Nicole Esteban, Yuhang Pan, Guojun He, Takanao Tanaka, Marc J.S. Hensel, Robert J. Orth, Christopher J. Patrick, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Olof Olsson, Margot L. Hessing-Lewis, Nicholas D. Higgs, Mark A. Hindell, Clive R. McMahon, Rob Harcourt, Christophe Guinet, Sarah E. Hirsch, Justin R. Perrault, Shelby R. Hoover, Jennifer D. Reilly, Catherine Hobaiter, Thibaud Gruber, Charlie Huveneers, Vinay Udyawer, Thomas M. Clarke, Laura P. Kroesen, David S. Hik, Seth G. Cherry, Justin A. Del Bel Belluz, Jennifer M. Jackson, Shengjie Lai, Clayton T. Lamb, Gregory D. LeClair, Jeffrey R. Parmelee, Matthew W.H. Chatfield, Cheryl A. Frederick, Sangdon Lee, Hyomin Park, Jaein Choi, Frédéric LeTourneux, Thierry Grandmont, Frédéric Dulude de-Broin, Joël Bêty, Gilles Gauthier, Pierre Legagneux, Jesse S. Lewis, Jeffrey Haight, Zhu Liu, Jarod P. Lyon, Robin Hale, Dallas D'Silva, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Enrique Arbeláez-Cortés, Felipe A. Estela, Camilo E. Sánchez-Sarria, Michelle García-Arroyo, Giann K. Aguirre-Samboní, Juan C. Franco Morales, Shahar Malamud, Tal Gavriel, Yehezkel Buba, Shira Salingré, Mai Lazarus, Ruthy Yahel, Yigael Ben Ari, Eyal Miller, Rotem Sade, Guy Lavian, Ziv Birman, Manor Gury, Harel Baz, Ilia Baskin, Alon Penn, Amit Dolev, Ogen Licht, Tabi Karkom, Sharon Davidzon, Avi Berkovitch, Ofer Yaakov, Raoul Manenti, Emiliano Mori, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Enrico Lunghi, David March, Brendan J. Godley, Cecilia Martin, Steven F. Mihaly, David R. Barclay, Dugald J.M. Thomson, Richard Dewey, Jeannette Bedard, Aroha Miller, Amber Dearden, Jennifer Chapman, Lauren Dares, Laura Borden, Donna Gibbs, Jessica Schultz, Nikita Sergeenko, Fiona Francis, Amanda Weltman, Nicolas Moity, Jorge Ramírez-González, Gonzalo Mucientes, Alexandre Alonso-Fernández, Itai Namir, Avi Bar-Massada, Ron Chen, Shmulik Yedvab, Thomas A. Okey, Steffen Oppel, Volen Arkumarev, Samuel Bakari, Vladimir Dobrev, Victoria Saravia-Mullin, Anastasios Bounas, Dobromir Dobrev, Elzbieta Kret, Solomon Mengistu, Cloé Pourchier, Alazar Ruffo, Million Tesfaye, Mengistu Wondafrash, Stoyan C. Nikolov, Charles Palmer, Lorenzo Sileci, Patrick T. Rex, Christopher G. Lowe, Francesc Peters, Matthew K. Pine, Craig A. Radford, Louise Wilson, Lauren McWhinnie, Alessia Scuderi, Andrew G. Jeffs, Kathleen L. Prudic, Maxim Larrivée, Kent P. McFarland, Rodrigo Solis, Rebecca A. Hutchinson, Nuno Queiroz, Miguel A. Furtado, David W. Sims, Emily Southall, Claudio A. Quesada-Rodriguez, Jessica P. Diaz-Orozco, Ku'ulei S. Rodgers, Sarah J.L. Severino, Andrew T. Graham, Matthew P. Stefanak, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, Peter G. Ryan, Kyle Maclean, Eleanor A. Weideman, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Kyle D. Kittelberger, Josip Kusak, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, Megan E. Hanna, Takahiro Shimada, Mark G. Meekan, Martin K.S. Smith, Mohlamatsane M. Mokhatla, Malcolm C.K. Soh, Roanna Y.T. Pang, Breyl X.K. Ng, Benjamin P.Y.-H. Lee, Adrian H.B. Loo, Kenneth B.H. Er, Gabriel B.G. Souza, Christopher D. Stallings, Joseph S. Curtis, Meaghan E. Faletti, Jonathan A. Peake, Michael J. Schram, Kara R. Wall, Carina Terry, Matt Rothendler, Lucy Zipf, Juan Sebastián Ulloa, Angélica Hernández-Palma, Bibiana Gómez-Valencia, Cristian Cruz-Rodríguez, Yenifer Herrera-Varón, Margarita Roa, Susana Rodríguez-Buriticá, Jose Manuel Ochoa-Quintero, Reut Vardi, Víctor Vázquez, Christian Requena-Mesa, Miyako H. Warrington, Michelle E. Taylor, Lucy C. Woodall, Paris V. Stefanoudis, Xiangliang Zhang, Qiang Yang, Yuval Zukerman, Zehava Sigal, Amir Ayali, Eric E.G. Clua, Pamela Carzon, Clementine Seguine, Andrea Corradini, Luca Pedrotti, Catherine M. Foley, Catherine Alexandra Gagnon, Elijah Panipakoochoo, Celene B. Milanes, Camilo M. Botero, Yunior R. Velázquez, Nataliya A. Milchakova, Simon A. Morley, Stephanie M. Martin, Veronica Nanni, Tanya Otero, Julia Wakeling, Sarah Abarro, Cyril Piou, Ana F.L. Sobral, Eulogio H. Soto, Emily G. Weigel, Alejandro Bernal-Ibáñez, Ignacio Gestoso, Eva Cacabelos, Francesca Cagnacci, Reny P. Devassy, Matthias-Claudio Loretto, Paula Moraga, Christian Rutz, Carlos M. Duarte
2021 Biological Conservation