Project
Distribution of Nocturnal Bioindicator Fauna (Chiroptera, Lampyridae and Orthoptera) in the Mount Royal Ecological NetworkMy research aims to characterize the Mount Royal’s habitat potential for populations of Chiroptera, Lampyridae and Orthoptera. This study began with nocturnal transect surveys across Mount Royal and Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemeteries, the Piedmont area, and Tiohtià:ke Otsira'kéhne Park. Acoustic, visual, and geographic data were collected through repeated field surveys on the mountain from June to September 2026: 1) Recording bat echolocation calls aimed to identify species present in the area and their preferred habitats, as well as to document their activity patterns; 2) Detecting and counting fireflies on Mount Royal, following the FireflyWatch protocol of the North American organization FireflyAtlas, involved continuous monitoring of fireflies in the area, identification of flash patterns, and specimen capture; 3) Recording orthopteran stridulations and capturing individuals during the second half of the summer serves to identify the main species present on the mountain. Passive acoustic devices are scheduled to be deployed at sites of interest across the Mount Royal Ecological Network (RÉMR) in the summer of 2027 to continue bioacoustic data collection efforts and simultaneously explore new areas of the mountain using transects. The results of these various surveys will then be compared with historical data to assess changes in activity levels and site usage among these three bioindicator groups, in relation to factors such as climatic conditions, phenology, and land-use patterns within this urbanized habitat.
