MARCO FESTA-BIANCHET, Full Professor

E-mail : M.Festa@USherbrooke.ca

Telephone : (819) 821-8000 ext 62061
Fax : (819) 821-8049

Français

Marco08

 Ram Mountain, early June 2008. The ewes (E13, 9 years old with yellow T collar, and J5, 4-year-old) are mother and daughter.  Both appear addicted to salt.  E13 had already lost her lamb, while J5 was pregnant.  She gave birth about 10 days later, but her lamb died  in winter. E13 disappeared overwinter and in 2009 J5 lost her lamb at birth.

MarcoPolo
 Eastern grey kangaroos can sometimes be caught with a 5-m jabstick!
Here are an adult female (#8) and her male offspring (#15), at Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria,   August 2008.  Both roos were alive and still together in September 2009, when #8 had a new small pouch young, after skipping one year of reproduction.
 roos

 

Degrees

B.Sc. (Zoology), University of Alberta (1981)
M.Sc. (Zoology), University of Alberta (1982)
Ph.D. (Behavioral Ecology), University of Calgary (1987)
NATO Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Large Animal Research Group, Cambridge, UK (1987 to 1990)

 

Ewe # 132 in 1986 at 2 years of age (left) and in 2000 at 16 years. She disappeared the following winter. She produced 14 lambs, of which 5 survived to 1 year of age.

 

Research Program

Animal ecology: individual reproductive success, reproductive strategy, population dynamics and conservation of mammals

 

Research Goals

My research seeks to understand how individual differences affect reproductive success and population dynamics of large mammals. Large mammals are long-lived, highly iteroparous, and their population dynamics often show time lags. Therefore, long-term monitoring of marked individuals is the best approach to testing theories on their reproductive success and population dynamics. My students and I produce knowledge useful for wildlife management and for the conservation of biodiversity.  With mixed success, we argue that evolutionary ecology is important for conservation and for wildlife management.

Current Research Projects:

Evolutionary ecology and population dynamics of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis).  With several students and collaborators, I monitor two populations in Alberta.  We have marked over 750 bighorns at Sheep River since 1981, and over 1000 at Ram Mountain since 1972.  This research has identified the factors that affect individual reproductive success, reproductive strategy, and population dynamics.  Recently, we have quantified the selective effects of trophy hunting and exposed the possibility that it may have negatively affected population dynamics.  Major collaborators are Jon Jorgenson of Alberta Fish & Wildlife, David Coltman of the University of Alberta, Jack Hogg of the Montana Conservation Science Institute, Fanie Pelletier of the Université de Sherbrooke and Kathreen Ruckstuhl of the University of Calgary.

Evolutionary ecology and population dynamics of Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), Victoria, Australia.  In collaboration with Graeme Coulson of the University of Melbourne and Dany Garant of the Université de Sherbrooke.  We have marked over 300 kangaroos in three populations and will examine the determinants of male and female reproductive success, including population density, sex and age structure, body size, genotype, birthdate, parasites and yearly changes in the amount and timing of precipitation.  A key part of this research is the manipulation of reproductive effort through the use of contraceptive implants.

Reproductive success and population dynamics of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus). Caw Ridge, Alberta. This study began in 1988 and is now led by Steeve Côté of Université Laval. We explore the long-term effects of dominance status, age structure, resource availability, and horn and body size on individual reproductive success and on population dynamics. Over 400 goats have been marked.

Ecology and conservation of Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra).  In collaboration with the Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime and the local wildlife management agency, we examine the consequences of alternative management regimes (including complete protection) on hunter selectivity, individual development and population dynamics.  This research is based on monitoring marked chamois and on the analysis of horn and body growth of hunter-harvested individuals.

Ecology and conservation of migratory tundra caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in northern Québec and Labrador.  This is a major collaborative effort with Steeve Côté and Jean-Pierre Tremblay at Université Laval and Christian Dussault of the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune du Québec.  Building on a unique long-term monitoring program of caribou with satellite radio collars, we are studying the effects of habitat changes (including climate change and other artificial influences) on the ecology, migration, reproductive success and population dynamics of caribou.

 

blu-blu.jpg (62486 octets)

 "Blue-blue" (#35T), 11 years old, visiting the trap at Ram Mountain, July 1999. He fathered at least 13 lambs, but was shot illegally in September 1999. Blue-blue was known for his love of salt and his lack of respect for handlers in the trap.

 

Selected recent publications:

Mainguy, J., S.D. Côté, M. Festa-Bianchet and D.W. Coltman. 2009. Father-offspring phenotypic correlations suggest intralocus sexual conflict for a fitness-linked trait in a wild sexually dimorphic mammal.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, published online 9 September 2009.

Hamel, S., S.D. Côté, J.-M. Gaillard and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2009. Individual variation in reproductive costs of reproduction: high-quality females always do better.  Journal of Animal Ecology, 78: 143-151.

Hutchings, J.A., and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2009. Scientific advice on species at risk: a comparative analysis of status assessments of polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Environmental Reviews, 17: 45-51.

Poissant, J., A.J. Wilson, M. Festa-Bianchet, J.T. Hogg, D.W. Coltman. 2008. Quantitative genetics and sex-specific selection on sexually dimorphic traits in bighorn sheep. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 275: 623-628.

Bergeron, P., M. Festa-Bianchet, A. von Hardenberg and B. Bassano. 2008. Heterogeneity in male horn growth and longevity in a highly sexually dimorphic ungulate.  Oikos, 117: 77-82.

Festa-Bianchet, M. and S.D. Côté.  2008. Mountain Goats: Ecology, Behavior and Conservation of an Alpine Ungulate.  Island Press, Washington.

Toïgo, C., J.-M. Gaillard, M. Festa-Bianchet, É. Largo, J. Michaellet and D. Maillard. 2007. Sex- and age-specific survival of the highly dimorphic Apine ibex: evidence for a conservative life history tactic.  Journal of Animal Ecology, 76: 679-686.

Pelletier, F., D. Réale, D. Garant, D.W. Coltman and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2007. Selection on heritable seasonal plasticity of body mass. Evolution, 61: 1969-1979.

A.Ø. Mooers, L.R. Prugh, M. Festa-Bianchet and J.A. Hutchings. 2007. Biases in legal listings under Canadian Endangered Species legislation.  Conservation Biology, 21: 572-575.

Pelletier, F., J.T. Hogg and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2006. Male reproductive effort in a polygynous ungulate. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 60: 645-654.

Festa-Bianchet, M., T. Coulson, J.-M. Gaillard, J.T. Hogg and F. Pelletier. 2006 Stochastic predation events and population persistence in bighorn sheep.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 273: 1537-1543.

Coltman, D.W., P. O’Donoghue, J.T. Hogg and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2005 Selection and genetic (co)variance in bighorn sheep.  Evolution, 59: 1372-1382.

Festa-Bianchet, M., D.W. Coltman, L. Turelli and J.T. Jorgenson. 2004. Relative allocation to horn and body growth in bighorn rams varies with resource availability. Behavioral Ecology 15: 305-312. 

Coltman, D. W., P. O'Donoghue, J. T. Jorgenson, J. T. Hogg, C. Strobeck and M. Festa-Bianchet. 2003. Undesirable evolutionary conseqences of trophy hunting.  Nature, 426: 655-658.

goat book










Available from Island Press
               Proks-goat
 

 

 

Complete list of publications (with .pdf's for most recent papers)

 

Graduate students

Former:

Current:

Alexandre Martin, Ph.D.  Reproductive strategies of bighorn rams.  Co-supervised with Fanie Pelletier, Université de Sherbrooke.

Here he is at Ram Mountain in September 2009.
 Alexandre
Ofelia Gonzalez, M.Sc.
Causes and consequences of litter size variation in Scandinavian brown bears
Uriel Gélin, Ph.D.
Reproductive success of female Eastern grey kangaroo.  Co-supervised with Graeme Coulson, University of Melbourne.

With male pouch young #117 at the Wilsons Promontory in August 2009.  At 4.7 kg, #117 weighed 17% as much as his mother (#30, first caught in August 2008) and a few days later started to spend some time outside the pouch.
 Uriel117
Melanie Pachkowski, M.Sc.
Determinants of body condition in migratory  caribou. Co-supervised with Steeve Côté, Université Laval.

Here she is holding a caribou calf from the Rivière George herd.  Behind her is Joëlle Taillon, Ph.D., Université Laval (Habitat selection and demography of migratory caribou), co-supervised with Steeve Côté
 melanie
Marco Rughetti, Ph.D.

Ecology and management of Alpine chamois.

Female # 25 was caught in the Ischiator Valley in Piedmont, Italian Alps,
at 2300 m elevation.  In summer 2007 she was 8 years old and nursing a kid.
 Marco25

Elyse
 Élise Rioux-Paquette, M.Sc.
Inbreeding, survival and physical development in bighorn sheep.

The lamb (male N2) weighed 6 kg on May 28, 2008. 
He was about one week old and survived to 2009.
On September 12 2009 N2 had grown to 52 kg.

His mother is ewe F1, 8 years old in 2008.  In 2009, F1 had a
daughter (O11), a sister for N2!

Here are F1 and N2 in September 2008 (Élise took the picture):
f1n2


Julien Martin
 Julien Martin, Ph.D.  Female reproductive strategies in ungulates.  Ewe Green P (i6) was 3 years old in 2006, when she gave birth but her lamb died neonatally.  Her male lamb from 2007 died during winter.  In 2008, she had a healthy male lamb (N5) that survived to 2009.  Her female lamb
born in 2009, however, disappeared in September.  i6 is doing well, in September 2009 she weighed over 80 kg.


Marie-France Barette, Ph.D.

Hormones and social behavior of meerkats.  Co-supervised with Andrew Russel (U. of Sheffield) and in collaboration with Prof. Tim Clutton-Brock (U. Cambridge).

 



Aurélie Bourbeau-Lemieux, M. Sc.

Population ecology of bighorn sheep. Co-supervised with Fanie Pelletier, Université de Sherbrooke.

Female lamb #334 weighed 32 kg in late October 2007 and is doing well so far.  Aurélie is also doing very well, despite having to witness continued cougar predation, dogs and tourists chasing sheep and several poaching incidents.
 
 
 Aurelie

 

Postdoctoral Fellows and research associates

Mauro Lucherini (Laurea, Milano, Italy): 1992-1993 (fellowship from the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry). Life-history strategies of bighorn sheep.  Mauro is now a lecturer in Baia Blanca, Argentina.

Richard Bon (Ph.D. Toulouse, France): 1993-94 (fellowship from the French Foreign Affairs Ministry). Evolution of sociality in ovids.  Richard is now a lecturer in Toulouse, France.

Denis Réale (Ph.D. Rennes, France): 1997-1999 (fellowship from the Fyssen foundation (France)). Heritability of morphological and life-history traits in bighorn sheep.  Denis now holds a Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Ecology at the Université du Québec a Montréal.  Check out his website.

David Coltman (Ph.D. Dalhousie): 2000 (NSERC fellow). Co-supervised with Dr. Curtis Strobeck, University of Alberta. Genotype, selection and evolution of morphological and life-history traits in bighorn sheep. Here he relaxes watching bighorn sheep at Ram Mountain.

Dave is now an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, and a key collaborator on bighorn sheep and mountain goat research.

Interested in graduate studies under my supervision? look here
2-year-old billy #82 in a Clover trap at Caw Ridge, August 1992.

He died at 5 years of age of unknown causes.

 
Check out the
ALPINE UNGULATE RESEARCH PROJECTS page

Conservation activities:

Past Chair (2002-2006) of COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) and past Co-Chair of its Terrestrial Mammals Subcommittee (1998-2008).  Chair of the IUCN Caprinae specialist group.

 

Adult bighorn rams at Sheep River in June1999

# 240 (white/yellow) is 7 years old. His mother (ewe #252) was the only known immigrant ewe to reproduce at Sheep River.

# 222 (white/black) is 9 years old. He was born to a 9-year-old ewe (#96) who was killed by a cougar 4 years later.

Rams # 240 and 222 disappeared during winter 2001-2002.

Last update: October 14, 2009
Visits since September 8, 2008:

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