Environmental pollutants can disrupt chemical communication between aquatic organisms by interfering with the production, transmission, and/or detection of, as well as responses to, chemical cues. Here, we test the hypothesis that early-life exposure to naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs) from...
In Opinicon Lake, Ontario during two non-pandemic years (2019 and 2022) the hook-wounding rates from recreational angling observed among nesting male largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (LMB), and nesting male smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu (SMB), were quite high, but typical of...
Climate change models often assume similar responses to temperatures acrossthe range of a species, but local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity can lead vplants and animals to respond differently to temperature in different parts oftheir range. To date, there have been...
Our eDNA protocol was robust and sensitive. SDMs built from traditional observations and those supplemented with eDNA detections were comparable in prediction accuracy. However, models with eDNA detections suggested that the distribution of S. odoratus in Southern Ontario is underestimated...
Ticks in the family Ixodidae are important vectors of zoonoses, including Lyme disease (LD), which is caused by spirochete bacteria from the Borreliella (Borrelia) burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) continues to expand across Canada, creating hot spots of elevated...
Host behaviour should be a key determinant of the acquisition of “sit-and-wait” and nidicolous ectoparasitic arthropods that ambush the host in their environment and/or nest. Here, we tested the association between parasitism and individual differences in exploratory and grooming behaviours...
Recreational boating activities enable aquatic invasive species (AIS) dispersal among disconnected lakes, as invertebrates and plants caught on or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies can survive overland transport. Besides simple preventive measures such as "clean, drain...
Woody plant encroachment is a widespread phenomenon affecting treeless or sparsely treed habitats. We aimed to determine the extent and timing of tree and shrub encroachment into rock barrens of eastern Ontario over the last century, and to assess implications...
Closely related species that use similar resources often differ in their seasonal patterns of activity, but the factors that limit their distributions across seasons are unknown for most species. One hypothesis to explain seasonal variation in the distributions of species...
When hosts have a long coevolutionary history with their parasites, fitness costs of chronic infection have often been assumed to be negligible. Yet, experimental manipulation of infections sometimes reveals effects of parasites on their hosts, particularly during reproduction. Whether these...
Winter in temperate regions is characteristically the coldest period of the year. Species in these regions adapt to freezing temperatures with physiological or behavioural mechanisms to mitigate the threats of cold exposure. For aquatic species, taking refuge under the ice...
Elevated lake chloride concentration has been observed in many regions, due to human activities such as mining, agriculture, and urbanisation. Meanwhile, lakes are also experiencing increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves. The combination of elevated salinity and heatwaves has not...
When the shoot apical meristem of plants is damaged or removed, fecundity and/or plant growth may suffer (under-compensation), remain unaffected (compensation) or increase (overcompensation). The latter signifies a potential ‘cost’ of apical dominance. Using natural populations of 19 herbaceous angiosperm...
Plant competition experiments commonly suggest that larger species have an advantage, primarily in terms of light acquisition. However, within crowded natural vegetation, where competition evidently impacts fitness, most resident species are relatively small. It remains unclear, therefore, whether the size...
The trait compensation and cospecialization hypotheses make contrasting predictions on how boldness is co-adapted with antipredator defences. If trait compensation occurs, then bold individuals should be equipped with better antipredator defences to compensate for their increased risk exposure. By contrast...
Dispersal is one of the most fundamental components of ecology. Dispersal is also particularly relevant in an era of unprecedented habitat loss and climate change. We used a unique dataset to examine dispersal in gray ratsnakes (Pantherophis spiloides)...
Urbanisation and agriculture are paradigmatic cases of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation that imperil wildlife. Anthropogenic landscape modifications can harm species such as freshwater turtles that rely on both aquatic and surrounding terrestrial habitats to survive and reproduce. We tested...
Decontaminating recreational watercraft, and fishing, sailing or watersports equipment after use can reduce the overland dispersal of aquatic invasive species (AIS) among lakes. Recommended methods include pressure-washing, rinsing with hot water, using cleaning agents, or air-drying, but the extent of...
Although it is sometimes difficult for researchers to ensure that their work is used by resource managers to make informed decisions, an example where this knowledge–action gap has been breached is in research published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater...
Trade-offs shaping behavioral variation are often influenced by the environment. We investigated the role that the environment plays in mediating trade-offs using a widespread frog with a conspicuous mating display, Pseudacris crucifer. We first demonstrated, using playback and desiccation...
Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the greatest threats to wildlife and biodiversity. Reptiles are particularly susceptible to these threats due to high site fidelity, large home ranges, and slow movement rates. To understand behavioral responses of Eastern Milksnakes (...
We observed the number of basking female Graptemys geographica (northern map turtles) at 4 basking sites before and after controlled motorboat disturbances using time-lapse cameras. In the 6 hrs following disturbance, the mean number of turtles basking at a site...
Population decline and the threat of extinction are realities currently facing many species. Yet, in most cases, the detailed demographic data necessary to identify causes of population decline are unavailable. Using 43 years (1975−2017) of data from a box-nesting population of...
White-nose syndrome (WNS) has rendered four of Ontario’s species endangered, while leaving the other four species
relatively unaffected. The causes and extent of the declines have been widely studied. The influence on remaining bat species has
not. Comparing acoustic data...
In many species, individuals prefer mates that are genetically dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), likely because it improves offspring resistance to pathogens. Here, we provide the first characterization of the MHC class II peptide binding region in bluegill...
