Université du Québec à Rimouski
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: François Vézina
Oliver Love, University of Windsor
Start: 2024-09-03

Project

Quantifying the thermal limits and behavioural flexibility of urban snow buntings amidst accelerated Arctic warming
Climate change effects are felt worldwide, though some places, like the Arctic, are more vulnerable than others. This system is put under additional stress as species and humans move poleward. The increase of urban development further warms the microclimate within Arctic cities through the urban heat island (UHI) effect, wherein temperatures of city centers are higher than the outskirts. While UHIs have been studied in the Eurasian Arctic, they remain generally unstudied in the Canadian Arctic, especially regarding their biological or ecological implications to wildlife. To fill this gap, I assess how an Arctic breeding songbird, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) responds to a city lifestyle in Iqaluit, Canada, which faces rapid urbanization and increasing summer temperatures. Specifically, I examine the potential trade-offs birds face when living at the forefront of UHIs, and whether this habitat acts as a thermal refuge from the harsh Arctic conditions, or an ecological trap where birds cannot successfully raise their offspring. The goal of my research is to quantify how Iqaluit snow buntings are affected by climate- and urban-induced heat stress, and what mechanisms they use to mitigate that stress. By using a thermally sensitive tag under the skin and a measure of snow bunting responses between the UHI center, median, and outskirts, I will determine how trade-offs between body temperature and activity impact breeding success. My work in investigating how wildlife responds to the ecological effects of rapid environmental change in the Canadian Arctic will help optimize conservation strategies for Arctic breeding songbirds.

Keywords

Arctic, Snow bunting, Heat stress, climate change

Publications

1- Assessing metabolite profiles of wild Swainson's thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) in different moult stages using a veterinary point of care device
Tranze-Drabinia, Elena, Vanessa Poirier, Barbara Frei, Kyle H. Elliott
2025 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology

2- A meta‐analysis of the impact of drones on birds
Brisson‐Curadeau, Émile, Rose Lacombe, Marianne Gousy‐Leblanc, Vanessa Poirier, Lauren Jackson, Christina Petalas, Eliane Miranda, Alyssa Eby, Julia Baak, Don‐Jean Léandri‐Breton, Emily Choy, Jade Legros, Elena Tranze‐Drabinia, Kyle H Elliott
2024 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment