L'établissement du sapin baumier en présence de densités élevées de cerf de Virginie à la suite de coupes de régénération sur l'Île d'Anticosti (Québec)

Les objectifs de ce projet étaient d'évaluer les effets de différents traitements sylvicoles sur l'établissement de la régénération naturelle en sapin baumier {Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) qui est la cible d'un broutement intense de la part du cerf de Virginie (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann). Nos résultats montrent que l'utilisation de la coupe progressive d'ensemencement, de la coupe à blanc par bandes avec scarifiage et de la coupe avec réserve d'îlots semenciers avec scarifiage n'a pas permis l'établissement d'une banque suffisante de semis de sapin non broutés capable de succéder aux peuplements actuels. Toutefois, la coupe par bandes et la coupe avec réserve d'îlots semenciers, chacune jumelée avec une préparation de terrain, ont stimulé l'établissement du bouleau à papier (Betala papyrifera Marsh.), mais le broutement du cerf a prohibé sa croissance en hauteur, tout comme celle du sapin. Aucun de ces traitements sylvicoles n'apparaît donc approprié pour reconstituer les sapinières de l'île d'Anticosti en présence de densités de cerf aussi élevées

Deer browsing and soil disturbance induce cascading effects on plant communities : a multilevel path analysis

Understanding how large herbivores shape plant diversity patterns is an important challenge in community ecology, especially because many ungulate populations in the northern hemisphere have recently expanded. Because species within plant communities can exhibit strong interactions (e.g., competition, facilitation), selective foraging by large herbivores is likely not only to affect the abundance of palatable species, but also to induce cascading effects across entire plant communities. To investigate these possibilities, we first tested the effects of deer browsing and soil disturbance on herbaceous plant diversity patterns in boreal forest, using standard analyses of variance. Second, we evaluated direct and indirect effects of deer browsing and soil disturbance on the small-scale richness of herbaceous taxa using a multilevel path analysis approach. The first set of analyses showed that deer browsing and soil disturbance influenced herb richness. Path analyses revealed that deer browsing and soil disturbance influenced richness via complex chains of interactions, involving dominant (i.e., the most abundant) browsing-tolerant (DBT) taxa and white birch (Betula papyrifera), a species highly preferred by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We found no evidence that an increase of white birch in fenced quadrats was the direct cause of a decrease in herb richness. However, we found strong evidence that a higher abundance of DBT taxa (i.e., graminoids and Circium arvense), both in fenced and unfenced quadrats, increased herb layer richness. We propose an empirical model in which competitive interactions between white birch and DBT taxa regulate the strength of facilitative relationships between the abundance of DBT taxa and herb richness. In this model, deer browsing and the intensity of soil disturbance initiate a complex chain of cascading effects in boreal plant communities by controlling the abundance of white birch

Management of forest regeneration in boreal and temperate deer-forest systems : challenges, guidelines and research gaps

Heavy browsing pressure from large ungulates is a multicontinent phenomenon that causes regeneration failure of many palatable tree species and induces important socioeconomic and ecological impacts in forest ecosystems. The development of forest management practices that address adequately this issue, however, remains scarce and challenging because (1) large herbivores are both a resource and a source of disturbance; (2) the management of forests and ungulate populations remains largely disconnected in practice; and (3) we still lack a good understanding of the role of critical factors, especially deer densities, vegetation attributes, and their interactions, on the magnitude of browsing damages on forest regeneration. We bring new insights into these challenging issues by critically reviewing the current methods used by managers and conservationists to mitigate deer impacts on forest regeneration, emphasizing the spatial scale at which these methods are undertaken. Specifically, we review management actions at multiple scales on both deer populations (e.g., hunting) and vegetation (e.g., silvicultural treatments) that are common to most deer–forest systems and, for that reason, deserve priority investigation. We identify strengths and limitations of current management actions and highlight the main research gaps. Based on this review, we propose a new integrated management scheme that explicitly addresses: (1) the integration and prioritization of management actions, (2) the development of adaptive management plans, and (3) the participation of stakeholders. Conflicting demands by different stakeholders have challenged the effectiveness of management strategies in deer–forest systems. To reverse this situation, we advocate for a shift of paradigm and the development of integrated strategies that (1) bridge the gap between management actions and the design of in situ experiments and (2) coordinate actions at multiple spatial scales on both deer populations and forests. We propose a new framework informed by key objectives and grounded in the adaptive management paradigm to support this transition, and suggest a research agenda for the next decade(s)

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Analyse spatiale, sélection des paysages et stratégies de conservation en présence de régimes multiples de perturbation : le cas du caribou forestier en forêt boréale aménagée

Identifier les processus écologiques (a)biotiques qui sous-tendent les patrons de distribution d’espèces et de dynamique de population est fondamental pour conserver efficacement les espèces menacées d’extinction. Cette thèse poursuit un double objectif: 1) comprendre les processus écologiques qui régissent la sélection des paysages du caribou forestier (Rangifer tarandus caribou) et 2) évaluer l’efficacité des politiques actuelles d’aménagement du territoire pour cet écotype. Le premier chapitre s’inscrit directement dans le premier objectif en présentant une nouvelle méthode numérique d’inférence statistique capable de modéliser l’autocorrélation spatiale présente dans les données de distribution d’espèces. Cette méthode utilise integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) au lieu des simulations Markov chain Monte Carlo. Je montre, qu’en plus de produire des résultats exacts et rapides, l’utilisation d’INLA permet de modéliser l’autocorrélation spatiale résiduelle tout en estimant adéquatement l’incertitude des paramètres et des prédictions du modèle. Dans le deuxième chapitre, la methode INLA est utilisée pour tester lequel des processus, parmi le climat et la distance aux routes, explique les gradients géographiques dans la sélection des paysages par le caribou forestier. Les résultats montrent une prépondérance de l’effet des routes par rapport au climat. De plus, les parterres de coupe étaient deux fois plus évités que les brulis récents. Ces résultats appuient une gestion de l’habitat du caribou forestier qui limite l’étalement du réseau routier et qui distingue l’effet des coupes forestières de celui des feux. Le dernier chapitre explore grâce à un modèle de simulation des paysages spatialement explicite les interactions spatiales entre un réseau d’aires protégées, la récolte forestière et les feux afin de quantifier leurs effets sur la dynamique de population du caribou forestier et sur les coûts économiques liés à l’aménagement forestier. Je montre la nécessité d’inclure les contarintes liées aux feux et aux aires protégées dans le calcul des niveaux de récolte, sans quoi ces niveaux ne sont durables ni pour le caribou forestier, ni pour l’industrie forestière. Les feux augmentent l’antagonisme existant entre exploitation forestière et conservation, avec ou sans coupes de récupération après feu. Cette étude illustre donc la nécessité de mieux comprendre les interactions spatiales entre dynamique des populations, aires protégées, aménagement forestier et régime de feux pour développer des stratégies de conservation qui soient plus efficaces.Linking spatial patterns of species distribution and population dynamics with biotic and abiotic processes is central to inform effective conservation planning for endangered species. This thesis investigated how linking spatial patterns of boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), hereafter boreal caribou, to processes can 1) improve our understanding of landscape selection of this ecotype and 2) inform the efficiency of current land use policies in practice. I first present a new powerful numerical method that allows integrating properly spatial information present in species distribution data to make accurate statistical inference. This method uses integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA) as an alternative to Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations. I show that, in addition of being accurate and rapid, the use of INLA with Bayesian hierarchical spatial models efficiently accounted for spatial autocorrelation in the residuals and fairly evaluated uncertainty in parameter estimates and predictions. I then used INLA to test which ecological processes, among climate and the distance to roads, drove the existence of geographical patterns in boreal caribou landscape selection. Data supported road-driven selection over a climate influence. Moreover, I show that boreal caribou avoidance of logged areas was two-fold stronger than burned areas. Together these results indicated that limiting the spread of road networks and accounting for the uneven impact of logging compared to wildfire should be integral parts of any habitat management plan and conservation measures within the range of this ecotype. Finally, I use a spatially explicit landscape simulation model to explore how spatial interactions among protected area networks, industrial forestry and fire regimes impacted the population dynamics of boreal caribou and the economic costs related to forest management. I show that the current policy of conservation planning and forest management in the Côte-Nord region in Québec is unlikely to be sustainable for either boreal caribou conservation or timber supply mainly because of current overestimated planned harvest levels. Fire increased antagonisms between current practices of forest management and habitat conservation, irrespective of the presence of salvage logging. This study illustrates that efficient conservation planning requires a better understanding of spatial interactions among population dynamics, protected area networks, forest management, and fire regimes

L'Atlas des villes en France

International audienc