Profile

Audrey Le Pogam
Postdoctoral fellow
Department of biology, chemistry and geography
UQAR
audrey.lepogam@uqar.ca

Supervised by:

François Vézina (Regular member)

Research project description

Influence of Arctic warming on the physiology and reproductive performance of a cold specialist, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)

IntroductionClimate change is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, particularly in the Arctic where warming is occurring at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Predicting how species will respond to Arctic changes is crucial to managing emerging risks. However, while ecological processes are well studied, the direct physiological effect of heat stress on Arctic wildlife is complex to study and much less documented. Recent studies show that some species have low tolerance to even moderate heat. As temperatures rise in the Arctic, these species will have to modulate their activities to avoid overheating during the warm days of the breeding season. Therefore, the time spent cooling or avoiding radiation could reduce the reproductive performance and selective value of these species. ObjectivesMy postdoctoral project aims to highlight the constraints faced by northern cold-sensitive species in the context of Arctic warming. Objective 1 is to determine how snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), a temperature-sensitive species that has declined by 60% over the past 45 years, modulates the foraging effort of its nestlings to avoid overheating at the southern (East Bay) and northern (Alert) extremes of its breeding range in response to changes in the thermal environment. Objective 2 aims to determine how these behavioral adjustments (e.g., time spent on snow or in shade avoiding overheating) influence reproductive success, an important component of fitness. Study sitesThis study will be conducted simultaneously at the geographic extremes of the snow bunting breeding range (East-Bay, Low Arctic, 64°N and Alert, High Arctic, 82°N). Alert is located 817 kilometers from the North Pole and is in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut, Canada. This site is home to the Canadian Forces Station Alert, which is the most northerly permanently inhabited place in the world. Alert is characterized by a polar climate that receives very little precipitation per year. Average daily temperatures rise above freezing only between July and August. Between April and September, the sun is constantly above the horizon. East Bay Island is located in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, Canada. Since 2007, Dr. Love has been monitoring the snow bunting population on the island. At the height of summer, temperatures can easily reach 15°C. The longest day is reached on June 21 with 21h of sunshine. Material and methodsFor objective 1, breeding adults at both sites will be equipped with RFID intraperitoneal implants to measure their body temperature (Tb) at each nest visit. Readers deployed at the nest entrances will also provide data on visit rate by sex and thus provisioning effort. In parallel, heat avoidance or dissipation behavior will be studied. Finally, the thermal environment perceived by the birds will be measured using micro weather stations and 3D printed bird models equipped with an internal temperature sensor. For objective 2, pair investment and reproductive success will be measured by monitoring clutch and brood size, hatching success, chick growth, and fledging success. These data will be analyzed in relation to the thermal environment, overheating avoidance behaviors, and adult energy expenditure and Tb. References

Research Site Coordinates

Scientific Communications

Demers, R., O'Connor, R., Le Pogam, A., Young, K.G., Berteaux, D., Tam, A., Vézina, F., 2023. Born in the cold: contrasted thermal exchanges and maintenance costs in juvenile and adult snow buntings on their breeding and wintering grounds. Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology: 12, 1502. DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01502-8.

O'Connor, R., Le Pogam, A., Young, K.G., Love, O.P., Cox, C.J., Roy, G., Robitaille, F., Elliott, K.H., Hargreaves, A., Choy, E.S., Gilchrist, G., Berteaux, D., Tam, A., Vézina, F., 2022. Warming in the land of the midnight sun: breeding birds may suffer greater heat stress at high- versus low-Arctic sites. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1981), 20220300. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0300.

Le Pogam, A., O'Connor, R., Love, O.P., Drolet, J., Régimbald, L., Roy, G., Laplante, M.-P., Berteaux, D., Tam, A., Vézina, F., 2021. Snow buntings maintain winter-level cold endurance while migrating to the High Arctic. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 724876. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.724876.

Le Pogam, A., O'Connor, R., Love, O.P., Petit, M., Régimbald, L., Vézina, F., 2021. Coping with the worst of both worlds: Phenotypic adjustments for cold acclimatization benefit northward migration and arrival in the cold in an Arctic-breeding songbird. Functional Ecology, 35(6): 1240-1254. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13793.

O'Connor, R., Le Pogam, A., Young, K.G., Robitaille, F., Choy, E.S., Love, O.P., Elliott, K.H., Hargreaves, A., Berteaux, D., Tam, A., Vézina, F., 2021. Limited heat tolerance in an arctic passerine: Thermoregulatory implications for cold-specialized birds in a rapidly warming world. Ecology and Evolution, 11(4): 1609-1619. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7141.

Zgirski, T., Legagneux, P., Chastel, O., Regimbald, L., Prouteau, L., Le Pogam, A., Budzinski, H., Love, O.P., Vézina, F., 2021. Early life neonicotinoid exposure results in proximal benefits and ultimate carryover effects. Scientific Reports, 11, 15252. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93894-2.

Le Pogam, A., Love, O.P., Regimbald, L., Dubois, K., Hallot, F., Milbergue, M., Petit, M., O'Connor, R., Vézina, F., 2020. Wintering snow buntings elevate cold hardiness to extreme levels but show no changes in maintenance costs. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 93(6), 711370. DOI: 10.1086/711370.

Le Pogam, A., Love, O.P., Vézina, F., 2016. Des changements physiologiques importants chez le Plectrophane des neiges en préparation à une migration longue distance vers l’Arctique. Colloque du CEN 2016, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada.

Le Pogam, A., Dubois, K., Hallot, F., Milbergue, M., Petit, M., Love, O.P., Vézina, F., 2015. Adaptations physiologiques des plectrophanes des neiges durant les mois les plus froids de l’hiver à l’est du Canada. Colloque du CEN 2015. Québec, Québec, Canada.

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