Theme 1: ecology and population
My Session Status
| Tyler Bonnell, Robert Michaud, Angélique Dupuch, Véronique Lesage, Clément Chion | Estimating spatial mixing within the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population | 13:30 |
| Jaclyn Aubin, Marie-Ana Mikus, Robert Michaud, Daniel Mennill, Valeria Vergara | Acoustic analysis of complex contact calls confirms social structuring in St. Lawrence belugas | 13:45 |
| Ankita Shukla, Voncarlos Macelo de Araújo, Clément Chion, Sébastien Gambs, Robert Michaud | Automatic Beluga re-identification from pictures using machine learning | 14:00 |
| Jory Cabrol, Véronique Lesage, Ève Rioux | The isotopic niche and diet of St. Lawrence Estuary beluga over two periods of contrasting environmental conditions revealed insights into their adaptability to ecosystemic changes | 14:15 |
| Limoilou-Amélie Renaud, Xavier Bordeleau, Nicholas M. Kellar, Gabriel Pigeon, Robert Michaud, Yves Morin, Stéphane Lair, Ariane Thérien, Véronique Lesage | Défis méthodologiques, analytiques et statistiques liés à l’estimation des taux de gestation dans la population de béluga de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent. | 14:30 |
Sub Sessions
Inter-individual variability in habitat preferences affect local abundance and residency times. Within a population range, this can lead to sectors having a continuous flow of unique individuals, while others are used by the same set of resident individuals. These patterns of habitat use by individuals, referred to here as individual spatial mixing, can have important implications for ecological and evolutionary processes. To estimate individual spatial mixing, we propose comparing local i...
Jaclyn Aubin, Marie-Ana Mikus, Robert Michaud, Daniel Mennill, Valeria VergaraPhoto-identification surveys of the St. Lawrence beluga population conducted since 1989 reveal a highly aggregated distribution with a clear sexual segregation and spatial segregation of all-male and female-and-young herds. These surveys also suggest socio-spatial structuring with individuals sharing preferred areas. Belugas are thought to use individual or familial vocal signatur...
Voncarlos Marcelo de Araújo, Ankita Shukla, Clément Chion, Sébastien Gambs, Robert MichaudThe beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) population inhabiting the waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLEB) was in decline and counting ~900 individuals when last assessed in 2012. Multiple factors have been identified as responsible, including marine traffic and the related noise. Being a highly social and vocal species, passive acoustic monitoring has the potential to deliver, in ...
Jory Cabrol, Véronique Lesage, Ève RiouxDespite the implementation of protective measures to reduce the risks of extinction, the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) population is predicted to decline within a few generations unless more aggressive mitigation of current threats are undertaken. Most of those threats seem related to their foraging ecology, including among others the change in prey abundance, quality and availability due to major c...
Limoilou-Amélie Renaud, Xavier Bordeleau, Nicholas M. Kellar, Gabriel Pigeon, Robert Michaud, Yves Morin, Stéphane Lair, Ariane Thérien, Véronique LesageOn observe depuis 2010 une forte mortalité néonatale et des femelles parturientes, ce qui suggère des problèmes de recrutement chez le béluga du Saint-Laurent. Afin de déterminer si le taux de gestation est normal chez cette population, nous avons échantillonné par biopsie 65 femelles entre 2013 et 2016. Notre...