Université du Québec à Rimouski
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: François Vézina
Start: 2012-09-01
End: 2015-08-31

Project

Rate of change in metabolic performance in response to thermal variations in three North-American passerine species
Several studies suggest that climate change will entail, in addition to a general increase in global temperature, an increment in the amplitude and frequency of extreme climatic events, such as rapid temperature fluctuations. These variations might significantly affect species’ capacity to remain in their actual range. However, phenotypic flexibility i.e. the ability to reversibly modify aspects of morphology/physiology and/or behaviour in response to changes in the environment, should allow species to buffer, to a certain degree, the effects of climatic variations. My project aims at measuring the rate of metabolic adjustments in three bird species (Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis), Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis)) contrasted by their seasonal thermal environment.

Keywords

écophysiologie animale, flexibilité phénotypique, métabolisme