Biomanipulation du meunier noir (Catostomus commersoni)

In conclusion, the present study showed that white sucker and brook trout exhibit
compensatory responses in recruitment, growth, age at maturity and reproductive
investment (brook trout) following a reduction in intra- and inter-specific competition.
Our results, obtained on a gradient of mass removal in time and intensity, support that
the success of a biomanipulation depends primarily on the intensity of the mass
removals (Colby et al. 1987; Meronek et al. 1996; Brodeur et al. 2001). Furthermore, by
producing a positive gradient followed by a negative gradient in the intensity of white
sucker mass removal, we were able to test the effects of variations in intra- and
interspecific competition in sorne life history traits oftwo species.
3.6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank H. Bertrand, J. Breton, P. East, C. Fournier, M. Gagnon, G. Lapierre, M.
Léveillé, Y. Paradis, D. Schelling and 1. St-Onge of the LRCA, C. Duval and A.-M.
Pratte of ZEC des Nymphes, and M. Beaudoin, G. Biron, M. Cloutier, P. Côté, M.
Fillion, C. Garceau, S. Grave1, R. Isabel, J.-M. Lafrance, J. Lafrance, M.-J. Laperrière,
R. Laporte, É. Pilon, C. Simard and J. Tanguay of the MRNF (formerly Société de la
Faune et des Parcs du Québec) for their field and laboratory assistance. We are also
grateful to Andrea Bertolo for his statistical advice, and to P. Brodeur, M. Lapointe, T.
Protois and R. Proulx for their assistance and advice throughout this project. M.-H. St­
Laurent was supported by graduate fellowships from the Fond pour la formation de
chercheurs et l'aide à la recherche (FCAR) and the Fondation du centre d'étude
universitaire de Trois-Rivières (CEU). 1. Pitre was supported by a graduate fellowship
from the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT).
This project was supported by funds from the (MNRF), the Fondation de la faune du
Québec (FFQ), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and
the Canada Research Chair Pro gram to P. Magnan.
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