Mathieu R. Charette
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Correspondence: mathieu.r.charette@gmail.ca EDUCATION:
B.Sc.
Wildlife Biology (2000) |
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I am currently interested in further exploring different aspects of migratory animals, particularly bird diets. With advances in Stable Isotope Analysis methodology new insights on diet can be obtained with minimal impacts to the animals and analysis costs are relatively low. My current projects and interests deal with varying ecological questions linking diet with reproductive success, population dynamics and contamination effects. While diet is cited as one of the four density-dependent factors controlling seabird population dynamics (Croxall and Rothery 1991), very little is known about the adult diet of many seabirds. I would also like to further investigate the use of stable isotope analysis, along with traditional methods of diet monitoring, in detecting migratory connectivity in seabirds. With increasing evidence of upcoming climate change it is of critical scientific and conservation importance that a proper understanding of winter diets and effects of survival and reproductive success in migratory species throughout their lifecycle be identified, and how birds and animals in general will adapt to these changes.
Finally I am collaborating on various projects providing stable isotope analysis expertise to answer various questions about animal diets on the breeding grounds, on migratory stopover sites or wintering sites.
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MASTER'S THESIS PROJECT:
Variation in breeding- and wintering-ground diets of sympatric nesting Common and Arctic Terns
Species studied:
Common and Arctic Terns (Sterna hirundo and S. paradisaea)
Field site: Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada and Country Island,
Nova Scotia, Canada
Time period: 2002-2005
Supervisor:
- Dr. Tony Diamond, ACWERN, UNB, New Brunswick, Canada
A note of caution when using animal tissue preserved in Queen's lysis buffer for carbon and nitrogen stable-isotope analysis
Species studied:
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) and Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Field site: Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada
Time period: 2003-2005
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:
Semipalmated
Sandpipers not feeding exclusively on corophium - evidence from stable-isotope
analysis.
Species studied:
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Field site: Johnson
Mills, NS, Canada
Time period: 2005
Collaboration:
- Dr. D. Hamilton, Mount Allison University, NB, Canada
- Dr. A.W. Diamond, University of New Brunswick, NB, Canada
- A. Sprague, University of New Brunswick, NB, Canada
Niche Partitioning by Fox and Song Sparrows: a Stable Isotopes Approach.
Species studied:
Fox and Song Sparrow
Field site: Triangle Island, BC, Canada
Time period: 2005
Collaboration:
- Dr. Mark Hipfner, CWE, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada
- B. Addison, University of Missouri - St Louis, Missouri, USA
Subcolony variation in breeding success in the Tufted Puffin, its association with foraging ecology, and its implications.
Species studied:
Tufted Puffin
Field site: Triangle Island, BC, Canada
Time period: 2005
Collaboration:
- Dr. Mark Hipfner, CWE, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada
- G. Blackburn, CWE, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada
Variation in ecology of introduced Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) at Kiska Island, Alaska as inferred from stable isotope analysis
Species studied:
Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Least Auklet (Aethia pusilla)
Field site: Kiska Island, Alaska, USA
Time period: 2002-2005
Collaboration:
- Tim Jardine, Stable Isotopes in Nature Laboratory (SINLAB), UNB, New
Brunswick, Canada
- Dr. Tony Diamond, ACWERN, UNB, New Brunswick, Canada
Attracting Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) to Machias Seal Island, NB, using social stimulants
Species studied:
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Field site: Machias
Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada
Time period: 2003
Collaboration:
- Dr. Ian Jones, ACWERN,
Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada
- Heather Major, ACWERN, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada
- Dr. Tony Diamond, ACWERN, UNB, New Brunswick, Canada
Peer reviewed publications
M.J. Hipfner, M.R. Charette and G.S. Blackburn. 2008. Subcolony variation in breeding success in the Tufted Puffin, its association with foraging ecology, and its implications. The Auk. In print, January 2008.
M.R. Charette, A.W. Diamond, and A.W. Boyne. 2007. Diet of female Common and Arctic Terns on the wintering grounds and while nesting sympatrically on the breeding grounds. To be submitted to Canadian Journal of Zoology (Jan. 2007).
M.R. Charette, D. Hamilton, Sprague, A. and A.W. Diamond. 2007. Semipalmated Sandpipers not feeding exclusively on corophium - evidence from stable-isotope analysis. To be submitted to Canadian Journal of Zoology (Jan. 2007).
B. Addison, M.R. Charette, M.J. Hipfner. 2007. Niche Partitioning by Fox and Song Sparrows: a Stable Isotopes Approach. To be submitted to Ecological Monographs (Feb. 2007).
H.L. Major, I.L. Jones, M.R. Charette, and A.W. Diamond, 2006. Variation in ecology of introducted Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) at Kiska Island, Alaska as inferred from Stable isotope analysis. Journal of Zoology. Doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00230.x
Non-peer reviewed reports
Charette, M.R., Black, A.L., Devlin, K., Minich, L.I., and Diamond, A.W. 2003. Machias Seal Island 1995-2003 Progress Report. Atlantic Cooperative Wildlife Ecology Research Network (ACWERN).
Devlin, K.D., Charette, M.R., and Diamond, A.W. 2002. Machias Seal Island 1995-2002 Progress Report. ACWERN.
Chisholm, S.E., Boyne, A.W., and Charette, M.R. 2002. Country Island Restoration Project - Annual Report 2002. Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS).
