The CC-Bio Project: Studying the Effects of Climate Change on Quebec Biodiversity

Anticipating the effects of climate change on biodiversity is now critical for managing wild species and ecosystems. Climate change is a global driver and thus affects biodiversity globally. However, land-use planners and natural resource managers need regional or even local predictions. This provides scientists with formidable challenges given the poor documentation of biodiversity and its complex relationships with climate. We are approaching this problem in Quebec, Canada, through the CC-Bio Project (http://cc‑bio.uqar.ca/), using a boundary organization as a catalyst for team work involving climate modelers, biologists, naturalists, and biodiversity managers. In this paper we present the CC-Bio Project and its general approach, some preliminary results, the emerging hypothesis of the northern biodiversity paradox (a potential increase of biodiversity in northern ecosystems due to climate change), and an early assessment of the conservation implications generated by our team work

Fragmentation of daily rhythms associates with obesity and cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents: The HELENA study

Background & aims: Chronobiology studies periodic changes in living organisms and it has been proposed as a promising approach to investigate obesity. We analyze the association of the characteristics of the rest-activity rhythms with obesity, cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic risk in adolescents from nine European countries. Methods: 1044 adolescents (12.5-17.5 y) were studied. Circadian health was evaluated by actigraphy with accelerometers (Actigraph GT1M). Characteristics of the daytime activity such as fragmentation (intradaily variability), estimated acrophase, and 10 h mean daytime activity index were obtained. Body composition was assessed using Bioelectrical-Impedance-Analysis, skinfold thickness, air-displacement-plethysmography and Dual-energy-X-ray-Absorptiometry. Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and metabolic risk were studied. Results: Highly fragmented activity rhythms were associated with obesity and central adiposity (P < 0.05). Obese adolescents had-3 times higher odds of having a high fragmentation of daytime activity compared to normal weight adolescents OR (95% CI) = 2.8 (1.170, 6.443). A highly fragmented rhythm was also related to lower cardiorespiratory fitness and higher metabolic risk (P < 0.05) so those adolescents classified as low fitness showed a significantly higher fragmentation of daytime activity than those included in the high fitness group (P < 0.0001). Other characteristics of the rhythms such as smaller 10 h daytime mean activity index and delayed estimated acrophase were also related to obesity and metabolic risk (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results indicate that the daily organization of the rest-activity cycle is more fragmented in obese and less fit adolescents and correlates with higher metabolic risk. This fact reinforces our hypothesis that disturbances in daily rhythms can be considered as sensitive markers of poorer adolescent's health

chessboard: An R package for creating networkconnections based on chess moves

chessboard aims to facilitate the creation of connectivity matrices for sampling networks designed as regular grids. It can handle directed (asymmetric) and undirected (symmetric) spatial (or non-spatial) network connections. chessboard offers various methods to detect neighbors, all based on the chess game, allowing the creation of complex connectivity scenario

Foreword to Supplement 1: research on a polar species—the Arctic fox

The Arctic fox has a circumpolar distribution and is intensively studied because it is adapted to extreme environments and influences the ecology of many other species. We introduce here a collection of 12 articles on Arctic fox biology and management. After summarizing the main biological features of the species, we explore the peer-reviewed literature dealing with the Arctic fox through a bibliometric network analysis which identifies clusters of papers sharing a high similarity of cited literature. We visualize with a word cloud analysis 10 clusters comprising 97% of 755 articles published by 1742 authors from 1996–2015. Behavioural and ecological questions, including conservation science, dominate this recent literature. The collection of papers published in the supplement offers an excellent representation of current research dealing with Arctic fox biology and management

Foreword to Supplement 1: research on a polar species—the Arctic fox

The Arctic fox has a circumpolar distribution and is intensively studied because it is adapted to extreme environments and influences the ecology of many other species. We introduce here a collection of 12 articles on Arctic fox biology and management. After summarizing the main biological features of the species, we explore the peer-reviewed literature dealing with the Arctic fox through a bibliometric network analysis which identifies clusters of papers sharing a high similarity of cited literature. We visualize with a word cloud analysis 10 clusters comprising 97% of 755 articles published by 1742 authors from 1996–2015. Behavioural and ecological questions, including conservation science, dominate this recent literature. The collection of papers published in the supplement offers an excellent representation of current research dealing with Arctic fox biology and management

Foreword to Supplement 1: research on a polar species—the Arctic fox

The Arctic fox has a circumpolar distribution and is intensively studied because it is adapted to extreme environments and influences the ecology of many other species. We introduce here a collection of 12 articles on Arctic fox biology and management. After summarizing the main biological features of the species, we explore the peer-reviewed literature dealing with the Arctic fox through a bibliometric network analysis which identifies clusters of papers sharing a high similarity of cited literature. We visualize with a word cloud analysis 10 clusters comprising 97% of 755 articles published by 1742 authors from 1996–2015. Behavioural and ecological questions, including conservation science, dominate this recent literature. The collection of papers published in the supplement offers an excellent representation of current research dealing with Arctic fox biology and management

What makes a teddy bear comforting? A participatory study reveals the prevalence of sensory characteristics and emotional bonds in the perception of comforting teddy bears

International audienc

Winter home range fidelity and extraterritorial movements of Arctic fox pairs in the Canadian High Arctic

The sociality of the Arctic fox has been extensively studied during the breeding season, so that its summer territorial and generally monogamous social systems are now well described. A key knowledge gap remains, however, during the winter season, when logistic challenges preclude detailed observation of individuals. We have studied the socio-spatial winter dynamics of Arctic fox pairs to determine: (1) winter fidelity of Arctic fox pair mates to their summer home range; (2) the degree to which extraterritorial movements are simultaneous between pair mates; and (3) spatial proximity between pair mates when they perform simultaneous extraterritorial movements. To meet these objectives, 15 Arctic fox pairs from Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada) were tracked during at least one winter in 2007–2011, using Argos satellite collars, for a total of 21 pair-years. Arctic foxes were generally faithful to their summer home ranges during winter, but some variation occurred among pairs. The degree of territory fidelity was highly correlated between pair mates. When foxes did extraterritorial movements, they performed excursions that were short in duration and generally not synchronized among pair mates. When pair mates were outside the territory at the same time, they did not travel together and rather foraged independently. We discuss some ecological implications of our findings, and suggest that different patterns may be observed in other Arctic fox populations. If such is the case, replicating our study in other parts of the species range will allow productive hypothesis testing regarding the determinants of Arctic fox winter sociality

Changements climatiques : défis et perspectives pour les plantes vasculaires en situation précaire au Québec

Les espèces en situation précaire comptent parmi les plus sensibles aux changements climatiques. Nous avons documenté les effets potentiels de ceux-ci sur les 409 plantes vasculaires en situation précaire au Québec. Nous avons quantifié les modifications potentielles des aires de répartition de 131 d’entre elles avec des modèles de niche bioclimatique et évalué la vulnérabilité des 409 plantes avec un indice de vulnérabilité aux changements climatiques. Nos résultats suggèrent que les conditions climatiques pourraient devenir favorables à plusieurs plantes en situation précaire au Québec. La province pourrait devenir un refuge climatique pour celles pour lesquelles les conditions climatiques deviendraient défavorables aux États-Unis. Toutefois, notre étude révèle que la vitesse de déplacement des niches bioclimatiques des plantes risque de dépasser largement leur capacité de déplacement. Ainsi, il pourrait être impossible pour celles-ci d’étendre naturellement leur répartition dans la province. De plus, 57,7 % des espèces étudiées sont considérées comme vulnérables aux changements climatiques. Les plus vulnérables sont celles ayant une répartition périphérique sud et celles associées aux habitats arctiques-alpins, à l’estuaire et au golfe du Saint-Laurent. Des recommandations sont formulées afin d’intégrer des stratégies d’adaptation aux changements climatiques à la gestion des plantes vasculaires en situation précaire et de leurs habitats au Québec.Species at risk are among the most sensitive to climate change. The present study investigated the potential impacts of climate change on the 409 vascular plant species at risk found in Québec (Canada). A vulnerability index was used to evaluate their susceptibility to climate change, and ecological niche models were used to quantify potential changes in the distribution of 131 of them. Results suggest that climatic conditions in Québec could become suitable for many of the plant species at risk, and that the province could serve as a climate refuge for those for which conditions become unsuitable in the United States of America. However, the study revealed that the ecological niche of plant species may move faster than their capacity for dispersal. Thus it may be impossible for many plants to naturally expand their distribution range within the province. In total, 57.7% of the studied species were found to be susceptible to climate change, with the most vulnerable being those with a southern peripheral distribution, and those associated with arctic-alpine habitats or with the St. Lawrence gulf and estuary. Recommendations are made to incorporate climate change mitigation strategies into the management of plant species at risk and their habitats