Impacts of agricultural intensification on wild animal population interactions: from individuals to communities - Impacts de l'intensification agricole sur les populations animales

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The agriculture industry of Canada is a highly dynamic global player. To stay competitive at the international level, agricultural producers have adopted farming practices that improve yields and reduce costs. As a result, there has been a strong trend towards more intensive farming in Canada over the last decades. In Quebec, the transition from traditional (more extensive) agriculture to the now common intensive farming has also been spectacular. These changes in production in the province occurred mostly on lands dedicated to dairy farming and at the expense of natural forest remnants. This has drastically changed the landscape and potentially impacted the integrity and functioning of several ecosystems, especially in the Saint-Lawrence River valley.  Yet, little is known about the impacts of intensive farming practices on the neighbouring biological communities and on the effects it may have on their ecological interactions at the ecosystem level. The generalresearch objective of this strategic project is to quantify the effects of contrasted farming practices on wild animal populations through the study of several trophic levels involving predator-prey and host-parasite interactions. More specifically, we will build on an already well-established study system on the biology of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) within a gradient of agricultural intensification in Southern Quebec.  The interest of this system lies in the fact that the biology of swallows is intricately related to that of insects, which are likely to be strongly affected by agricultural intensification because of pesticide use, among other things.  This strategic project will play a key role in helping policy makers understand and predict the long-term ecological consequences of the current resource utilization through agriculture.  This is of great importance given that wild animals provide ecological services that affect the production yields of several cultures through pollination and the control of pest insects.