Papers by fanie pelletier
The MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework allows visually impaired users to have an improved access to vis... more The MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework allows visually impaired users to have an improved access to visual content by enabling content adaptation techniques such as color compensation. However, one important issue is the method to create and interpret the standardized CVD descriptions when making the use of generic color vision tests. In Part I of our study to tackle the issue, we present a novel computerized hue test (CHT) to examine and quantify CVD, which allows reproducing and manipulating test colors for the purposes of computer simulation and analysis of CVD. Both objective evaluation via color difference measurement and subjective evaluation via clinical experiment showed that the CHT works well as a color vision test: it is highly correlated with the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue (FM100H) test and allows for a more elaborate and correct color reproduction than the FM100H test. Copyright © 2008 Seungji Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons A...
Evolutionary Biology, 2015
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2015
The effects of phyto-pharmaceutic compounds (PPCs), such as neonicotinoids, on wildlife reproduct... more The effects of phyto-pharmaceutic compounds (PPCs), such as neonicotinoids, on wildlife reproduction and survival are a rising concern. Yet, understanding the biological consequences of PPC use is particularly complex given the large diversity of PPCs and their derivatives to which wildlife can be exposed. Here, we present a simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of multiclass PPCs (54 molecules) in single insect boluses (<0.05 g dry mass) by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). A key part of this new method is the use of a two-step extraction method combining (i) the high efficiency of a microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MAE) for extracting analytes that might be tightly bound to environmental matrices and (ii) the versatility of a salt-out effect adapted from the QuEChERS methodology allowing the extraction and purification of a wide array of analytes. This microwave-assisted salt-out extraction (MASOE) approach was compared to classical extraction methods including matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and the QuEChERS method. Average recoveries for 54 analytes ranged from 49% to 106%, (relative standard deviations <22%). The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were in the ranges of 0.10-3.00 ng g(-1) and 0.40-7.00 ng g(-1), respectively. We applied this method to analyse 881 insect boluses collected from Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolour) nestlings along an agricultural intensification gradient in southern Québec (Canada). We detected 25 PPCs out of the 54 considered. We detected at least one PPC in 30% of samples and were able to quantify at least one of them in 17% of samples. Our study shows that the MASOE method should prove to be a powerful tool for studying the fate and impacts of PPCs on wildlife.
Ecological Applications, 2015
Ecology and evolution, 2014
Human harvests can unwittingly drive evolution on morphology and life history, and these selectiv... more Human harvests can unwittingly drive evolution on morphology and life history, and these selective effects may be detrimental to the management of natural resources. Although theory suggests that harvest refuges, as sources of unselected animals, could buffer the effects of human exploitation on wild populations, few studies have assessed their efficiency. We analyzed records from >7000 trophy bighorn rams (Ovis canadensis) harvested in Alberta, Canada, between 1974 and 2011 to investigate if the movement of rams from refuges toward harvested areas reduced the effects of selective harvesting on horn size through phenotypic rescue. Rams taken near refuges had horns on average about 3% longer than rams shot far from refuges and were slightly older, suggesting migration from refuges into hunted areas. Rams from areas adjacent to and far from harvest refuges, however, showed similar declines in horn length and increases in age at harvest over time, indicating a decreasing rate of hor...
Evolutionary applications, 2014
Predicting the geographic spread of wildlife epidemics requires knowledge about the movement patt... more Predicting the geographic spread of wildlife epidemics requires knowledge about the movement patterns of disease hosts or vectors. The field of landscape genetics provides valuable approaches to study dispersal indirectly, which in turn may be used to understand patterns of disease spread. Here, we applied landscape genetic analyses and spatially explicit models to identify the potential path of raccoon rabies spread in a mesocarnivore community. We used relatedness estimates derived from microsatellite genotypes of raccoons and striped skunks to investigate their dispersal patterns in a heterogeneous landscape composed predominantly of agricultural, forested and residential areas. Samples were collected in an area covering 22 000 km(2) in southern Québec, where the raccoon rabies variant (RRV) was first detected in 2006. Multiple regressions on distance matrices revealed that genetic distance among male raccoons was strictly a function of geographic distance, while dispersal in fem...
Journal of evolutionary biology, 2015
The reliability and consistency of the many measures proposed to quantify sexual selection have b... more The reliability and consistency of the many measures proposed to quantify sexual selection have been questioned for decades. Realized selection on quantitative characters measured by the selection differential i was approximated by metrics based on variance in breeding success, using either the opportunity for sexual selection Is or indices of inequality. There is no consensus about which metric best approximates realized selection on sexual characters. Recently, the opportunity for selection on character mean OSM was proposed to quantify the maximum potential selection on characters. Using 21 years of data on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), we investigated the correlations between seven indices of inequality, Is , OSM and i on horn length of males. Bighorn sheep are ideal for this comparison because they are highly polygynous and sexually dimorphic, ram horn length is under strong sexual selection, and we have detailed knowledge of individual breeding success. Different metrics pr...
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, Jan 7, 2015
There is increasing evidence of indirect effects of hunting on populations. In species with sexua... more There is increasing evidence of indirect effects of hunting on populations. In species with sexually selected infanticide (SSI), hunting may decrease juvenile survival by increasing male turnover. We aimed to evaluate the relative importance of direct and indirect effects of hunting via SSI on the population dynamics of the Scandinavian brown bear (Ursus arctos). We performed prospective and retrospective demographic perturbation analyses for periods with low and high hunting pressures. All demographic rates, except yearling survival, were lower under high hunting pressure, which led to a decline in population growth under high hunting pressure (λ = 0.975; 95% CI = 0.914-1.011). Hunting had negative indirect effects on the population through an increase in SSI, which lowered cub survival and possibly also fecundity rates. Our study suggests that SSI could explain 13.6% of the variation in population growth. Hunting also affected the relative importance of survival and fecundity of a...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 11, 2014
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2004
In sexually dimorphic ungulates, males generally spend less time foraging than females, possibly ... more In sexually dimorphic ungulates, males generally spend less time foraging than females, possibly because of difference in body mass or because of the energetic requirements of lactation. The relationship between body size and foraging time has received little attention at the intra-specific level, because few studies have documented activity budgets for individuals of known size. Bighorn rams are a good
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2014
Ecology and Evolution, 2013
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2015
According to the Bpace-of-life syndrome^concept, slow-fast life-history strategies favored under ... more According to the Bpace-of-life syndrome^concept, slow-fast life-history strategies favored under different ecological conditions should lead to co-adaptations between metabolic rate and personality traits such as activity, exploration, and boldness. Although the relationships between resting metabolic rate (RMR) and personality traits have been recently tested several times, we still do not know whether personality is related to the daily energy expenditure (DEE) of free-living individuals in their natural habitat. The objectives of this study were to assess the links between RMR, DEE, and two personality traits (exploration in an open-field and docility during handling) in wild eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus).
Evolutionary Applications, 2014
Wildlife disease has the potential to cause significant ecological, socioeconomic, and health imp... more Wildlife disease has the potential to cause significant ecological, socioeconomic, and health impacts. As a result, all tools available need to be employed when host-pathogen dynamics merit conservation or management interventions. Evolutionary principles, such as evolutionary history, phenotypic and genetic variation, and selection, have the potential to unravel many of the complex ecological realities of infectious disease in the wild. Despite this, their application to wildlife disease ecology and management remains in its infancy. In this article, we outline the impetus behind applying evolutionary principles to disease ecology and management issues in the wild. We then introduce articles from this special issue on Evolutionary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease: Concepts and Applications, outlining how each is exemplar of a practical wildlife disease challenge that can be enlightened by applied evolution. Ultimately, we aim to bring new insights to wildlife disease ecology and its management using tools and techniques commonly employed in evolutionary ecology.
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Papers by fanie pelletier