Emma Despland

Membre régulier
Interactions plante-insecte

Université Concordia
Faculté des arts et sciences
Département de biologie
7141, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Montréal (Québec) Canada, H4B 1R6

(514) 848-2424 Poste 3426

FORMATION
  • Postdoctorat en zoologie, 2001 (University of Oxford, UK)- Canada-UK Millennium Fellow
  • Ph.D. en zoologie, 1999 (University of Oxford, UK)
  • M.Sc. en biologie, 1995 (Université Laval)
  • B.Sc. en biologie environnementale, 1992 (McGill University)
THÈMES DE RECHERCHE

La livrée des forêts (Malacosoma disstria) est un ravageur épidémique Canadien qui cause des dommages significatifs à l'environnement naturel tout comme aux industries forestières. La livrée est une espèce sociale; elle vit en colonies de plusieurs centaines d'individus qui utilisent des pistes de phéromone pour se déplacer entre les sites où ils se nourrissent. L'activité d'une colonie est synchrone et les individus alternent ensemble entre des périodes de repos et de quête alimentaire.

Mon programme de recherche vise à comprendre comment les chenilles profitent à chercher leur nourriture en groupe plutôt que seules. En particulier, j'étudie comment les chenilles communiquent avec leurs voisines pour se synchroniser entre elles et comment chaque individu concilie ses propres besoins nutritionnels avec l'horaire des déplacements de la colonie. J'utilise la vidéographie numérique combinée à des logiciels d'analyse spécialisés pour décrire le comportement des colonies et pour quantifier les réponses des chenilles aux actions de leurs voisines.

Les ravageurs forestiers épidémiques sont plus fréquents parmi les chenilles grégaires que chez les espèces solitaires. La vie en groupe semblerait donc contribuer au succès d'un insecte forestier. Mon laboratoire examine un des principaux avantages postulés pour la vie en groupe: une meilleure efficacité dans la quête alimentaire. Mon objectif à long terme est de comprendre comment le comportement alimentaire et les intéractions sociales de la livrée influencent les cycles d'épidémies et de rémission chez cette espèce.

RECENT DISTINCTIONS
  • 2007 Récipiendaire du Prix Léon Provancher Jeune Chercheur de la Societé d'Entomologie du Québec

You can download all my bibliography in the BibTeX, BibTeX-CSV or EndNote format

PUBLICATIONS
Books


None

Book chapters


  1. Dussutour, A., Colasurdo, N., Nicolis, S.C., Despland, E. (2007) How do ants and social caterpillars collectively make decisions?. (Chap. 5) In Cognitive Decision-Making: Empirical and Foundational Issues. (Hardy-Vallee, B, Eds.) Newcastle, UK, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pages 48-65


Edited books, special journal editions and proceedings


None

Peer-reviewed articles


  1. Caron, A.-S., Koudji, E.G., Handa, I.T., Montoro Girona, M., Despland, E. (2023) Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests. Forests, 14(6):1147
  2. Dansereau-Macias, E., Despland, E., Handa, I.T. (2023) Decreased Soil Microbial Biomass and Changed Microbial Community Composition following a Defoliation Event by the Forest Tent Caterpillar. Forests, 14(4):792
  3. Gagnon Koudji, E., Despland, E., Caron, A.-S., Handa, I.T. (2023) Soil Springtail Communities Are Resilient to Forest Tent Caterpillar Defoliation in Quebec Mixed Hardwood Forests. Forests, 14(7)
  4. Despland, E., Lessard, J.-P. (2022) Social predation by ants as a mortality source for an arboreal gregarious forest pest. Basic and Applied Ecology, 59:82-91
  5. Renteria, J., Despland, E., Checa, M.F. (2022) Grouping as a strategy to mitigate top-down and bottom-up pressures for survival and growth in Methona confusa (Butler, 1873)(Nymphalidae, Ithomiini). Tropical Lepidoptera Research
  6. Caron, A.-S., Jarry, J.J., Despland, E. (2022) Early instar mortality of a forest pest caterpillar: which mortality sources increase during an outbreak crash? Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 170(3):268-276
  7. Dexheimer, E., de Araujo, H.N., Despland, E. (2021) Novel mutualistic interaction in introduced Polyommatus icarus larvae in Quebec. The Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario, 152:29-38
  8. Taggar, A.K., McGrath, E., Despland, E. (2021) Competition between a native and introduced pollinator in unmanaged urban meadows. Biological Invasions, 23:1697-1705
  9. Despland, E. (2021) Selection Forces Driving Herding of Herbivorous Insect Larvae. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9
  10. Bellemin-Noël, B., Bourassa, S., Despland, E., De Grandpre, L., Pureswaran, D.S. (2021) Improved performance of the eastern spruce budworm on black spruce as warming temperatures disrupt phenological defences. Global Change Biology, 27(14):3358-3366
  11. Lirette, A.-O., Despland, E. (2021) Defensive traits during white spruce (Picea glauca) leaf ontogeny. Insects, 12(7)
  12. Fuentealba, A., Sagne, S., Legendre, G., Pureswaran, D., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2020) Leaf toughness as a mechanism of defence against spruce budworm. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 14(4):481-489
  13. Despland, E., Santacruz, P.G. (2020) Top-down and bottom-up controls on an herbivore on a native and introduced plant in a tropical agricultural landscape. PeerJ, 2020(3)
  14. Despland, E. (2020) Ontogenetic shift from aposematism and gregariousness to crypsis in a Romaleid grasshopper. PLOS ONE, 15(8 august)
  15. Despland, E. (2019) Caterpillars cooperate to overcome plant glandular trichome defenses. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7(JUL)
  16. Donkor, D., Mirzahosseini, Z., Bede, J., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2019) Detoxification of host plant phenolic aglycones by the spruce budworm. PLOS ONE, 14(5):1-14
  17. Santacruz, P.G., Despland, E., Giraldo, C.E. (2019) Life cycle and natural enemies of mechanitis menapis (Lepidoptera: Ithomiini) [Ciclo de vida y enemigos naturales de Mechanitis menapis (Lepidoptera: Ithomiini)]. Revista de Biologia Tropical, 67(6):1488-1504
  18. Plenzich, C., Despland, E. (2018) Host-plant mediated effects on group cohesion and mobility in a nomadic gregarious caterpillar. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 72(4)
  19. Despland, E. (2018) Effects of phenological synchronization on caterpillar early-instar survival under a changing climate. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 48(3):247-254
  20. Fuentealba, A., Sagne, S., Pureswaran, D., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2018) Defining the window of opportunity for feeding initiation by second-instar spruce budworm larvae. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 48(3):285-291
  21. Despland, E., Gervais, D., Morcos, L. (2017) Double allomimesis of advancing and retreating individuals maintains cohesion in exploring groups of nomadic caterpillars. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(3)
  22. Fuentealba, A., Pureswaran, D., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2017) How does synchrony with host plant affect the performance of an outbreaking insect defoliator? Oecologia, 184(4):847-857
  23. Ennis, D., Despland, E., Chen, F., Forgione, P., Bauce, E. (2017) Spruce budworm feeding and oviposition are stimulated by monoterpenes in white spruce epicuticular waxes. Insect Science, 24(1):73-80
  24. Despland, E., Santacruz Endara, P. (2016) Silk drives aggregation and following in the neotropical caterpillar Mechanitis menapis (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini). Physiological Entomology, 41(3):274-280
  25. Despland, E., Bourdier, T., Dion, E., Bauce, E. (2016) Do white spruce epicuticular wax monoterpenes follow foliar patterns? Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 46(8):1051-1058
  26. Ethier, J., Gasse, M., Lake, K., Jones, B.C., Evenden, M.L., Despland, E. (2015) The costs of colour: Plasticity of melanin pigmentation in an outbreaking polymorphic forest moth. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 154(3):242-250
  27. Santana, A.F.K., McClure, M., Ethier, J., Despland, E. (2015) Exploration costs promote conservative collective foraging in the social caterpillar Malacosoma disstria. Animal Behaviour, 105:245-250
  28. Ennis, D.E., Mader, B.J., Burnside, K., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2015) Is Feeding Behaviour on Foliage Affected by lab-Rearing on Artificial Diet? Journal of Insect Behavior, 28(2):147-156
  29. Despland, E. (2014) Butterflies of the high-altitude Atacama desert: Habitat use and conservation. Frontiers in Genetics, 5(SEP)
  30. Rogers, S.M., Cullen, D.A., Anstey, M.L., Burrows, M., Despland, E., Dodgson, T., Matheson, T., Ott, S.R., Stettin, K., Sword, G.A. et al. (2014) Rapid behavioural gregarization in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria entails synchronous changes in both activity and attraction to conspecifics. Journal of Insect Physiology, 65:9-26
  31. Despland, E. (2013) Plasticity of collective behavior in a nomadic early spring folivore. Frontiers in Physiology, 4:--
  32. McClure, M., Morcos, L., Despland, E. (2013) Collective choice of a higher-protein food source by gregarious caterpillars occurs through differences in exploration. Behavioral Ecology, 24(1):113-118
  33. Despland, E., Humire, R., Martin, S. (2012) Species richness and phenology of butterflies along an altitude gradient in the desert of Northern Chile. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 44(4):423-431
  34. Ethier, J., Despland, E. (2012) Effects of polymorphic melanism and larval diet on life history traits of Malacosoma disstria moths. Journal of Insect Physiology, 58(1):67-74
  35. Mader, B.J., Daoust, S.P., Cardinal-Aucoin, M., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2012) Larval experience induces adult aversion to rearing host plants: A novel behaviour contrary to Hopkins' host selection principle. Ecological Entomology, 37(3):204-211
  36. McClure, M., Ralph, M., Despland, E. (2011) Group leadership depends on energetic state in a nomadic collective foraging caterpillar. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 65(8):1573-1579
  37. Despland, E., Gundersen, M., Daoust, S.P., Mader, B.J., Delvas, N., Albert, P.J., Bauce, E. (2011) Taste receptor activity and feeding behaviour reveal mechanisms of white spruce natural resistance to Eastern spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferana. Physiological Entomology, 36(1):39-46
  38. McClure, M., Cannell, E., Despland, E. (2011) Thermal ecology and behaviour of the nomadic social forager Malacosoma disstria. Physiological Entomology, 36(2):120-127
  39. McClure, M., Despland, E. (2011) Defensive responses by a social caterpillar are tailored to different predators and change with larval instar and group size. The Science of Nature, 98(5):425-434
  40. McClure, M., Despland, E. (2010) Collective foraging patterns of field colonies of Malacosoma disstria caterpillars. Canadian Entomologist, 142(5):473-480
  41. Daoust, S.P., Mader, B.J., Bauce, E., Despland, E., Dussutour, A., Albert, P.J. (2010) Influence of epicuticular-wax composition on the feeding pattern of a phytophagous insect: Implications for host resistance. Canadian Entomologist, 142(3):261-270
  42. Colasurdo, N., Gelinas, Y., Despland, E. (2009) Larval nutrition affects life history traits in a capital breeding moth. Journal of Experimental Biology, 212(12):1794-1800
  43. Nicolis, S.C., Despland, E., Dussutour, A. (2008) Collective decision-making and behavioral polymorphism in group living organisms. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 254(3):580-586
  44. Merkx-Jacques, M., Despland, E., Bede, J.C. (2008) Nutrient utilization by caterpillars of the generalist beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Physiological Entomology, 33(1):51-61
  45. Babic, B., Poisson, A., Darwish, S.A., Lacasse, J., Merkx-Jacques, M., Despland, E., Bede, J.C. (2008) Influence of dietary nutritional composition on caterpillar salivary enzyme activity. Journal of Insect Physiology, 54:286-296
  46. Dussutour, A., Nicolis, S.C., Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2008) Individual differences influence collective behaviour in social caterpillars. Animal Behaviour, 76:5-16
  47. Etile, E., Despland, E. (2008) Developmental variation in the forest tent caterpillar: life history consequences of a threshold size for pupation. Oikos, 117(1):135-143
  48. Colasurdo, N., Dussutour, A., Despland, E. (2007) Do food protein and carbohydrate content influence the pattern of feeding and the tendency to explore of forest tent caterpillars? Journal of Insect Physiology, 53(11):1160-1168
  49. Nemiroff, L., Despland, E. (2007) Consistent individual differences in the foraging behaviour of forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 85:1117-1124
  50. Dussutour, A., Simpson, S.J., Despland, E., Colasurdo, N. (2007) When the group denies individual nutritional wisdom. Animal Behaviour, 74(4):931-939
  51. Despland, E., Le Huu, A. (2007) Pros and cons of group living in the forest tent caterpillar: Separating the roles of silk and of grouping. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 122(2):181-189
  52. Buhl, J., Sumpter, D.J.T., Couzin, I.D., Hale, J.J., Despland, E., Miller, E.R., Simpson, S.J. (2006) From disorder to order in marching locusts. Science, 312(5778):1402-1406
  53. Peters, M.I., Despland, E. (2006) Plasticity in forest tent caterpillar collective foraging schedules. Ethology, 112(6):521-528
  54. Noseworthy, M.K., Despland, E. (2006) How do primary nutrients affect the performance and preference of forest tent caterpillars on trembling aspen? Canadian Entomologist, 138(3):367-375
  55. Jones, B.C., Despland, E. (2006) Effects of synchronization with host plant phenology occur early in the larval development of a spring folivore. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 84(4):628-633
  56. Despland, E., Noseworthy, M. (2006) How well do specialist feeders regulate nutrient intake? Evidence from a gregarious tree-feeding caterpillar. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(7):1301-1309
  57. Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2006) Resource distribution mediates synchronization of physiological rhythms in locust groups. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 273:1517-1522
  58. Peters, M.I., Despland, E. (2005) Plasticity in forest tent caterpillar self-organized collective foraging. Ethology, 112:521-528
  59. Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2005) Food choices of solitarious and gregarious locusts reflect cryptic and aposematic antipredator strategies. Animal Behaviour, 69(2):471-479
  60. Colasurdo, N., Despland, E. (2005) Social cues and following behavior in the forest tent caterpillar. Journal of Insect Behavior, 18(1):77-87
  61. Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2005) Surviving the change to warning colouration: Density-dependent polyphenism suggests a route for the evolution of aposematism. Chemoecology, 15(2):69-75
  62. Despland, E. (2005) Diet breadth and anti-predator strategies in desert locusts and other Orthopterans. Journal of Orthoptera Research, 14:227-233
  63. Despland, E., Hamzeh, S. (2004) Ontogenetic changes in social behaviour in the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 56(2):177-184
  64. Despland, E. (2004) Locust transformation: From solitarious Dr Jekyll to swarming Mr Hyde. Biologist, 51(1):18-22
  65. Despland, E., Rosenberg, J., Simpson, S.J. (2004) Landscape structure and locust swarming: A satellite's eye view. Ecography, 27(3):381-391
  66. Despland, E. (2003) Fractal index captures the role of vegetation clumping in locust swarming. Functional Ecology, 17(3):315-322
  67. Rogers, S.M., Matheson, T., Despland, E., Dodgson, T., Burrows, M., Simpson, S.J. (2003) Mechanosensory-induced behavioural gregarization in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(22):3991-4002
  68. Despland, E. (2001) Role of olfactory and visual cues in the attraction/repulsion responses to conspecifics by gregarious and solitarious desert locusts. Journal of Insect Behavior, 14(1):35-46
  69. Simpson, S.J., Despland, E., Hagele, B.F., Dodgson, T. (2001) Gregarious behavior in desert locusts is evoked by touching their back legs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(7):3895-3897
  70. Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2000) Small-scale vegetation patterns in the parental environment influence the phase state of hatchlings of the desert locust. Physiological Entomology, 25(1):74-81
  71. Despland, E., Simpson, S.J. (2000) The role of food distribution and nutritional quality in behavioural phase change in the desert locust. Animal Behaviour, 59(3):643-652
  72. Despland, E., Collett, M., Simpson, S.J. (2000) Small-scale processes in desert locust swarm formation: How vegetation patterns influence gregarization. Oikos, 88(3):652-662
  73. Frechette, M., Despland, E. (1999) Impaired shell gaping and food depletion as mechanisms of asymmetric competition in mussels. Ecoscience, 6(1):1-11
  74. Collett, M., Despland, E., Simpson, S.J., Krakauer, D.C. (1998) Spatial scales of desert locust gregarization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95(22):13052-13055
  75. Despland, E., Houle, G. (1997) Climate influences on growth and reproduction of Pinus banksiana (Pinaceae) at the limit of the species distribution in eastern North America. American Journal of Botany, 84(7):928-937
  76. Despland, E., Houle, G. (1997) Aspect influences cone abundance within the crown of Pinus banksiana Lamb. trees at the limit of the species distribution in northern Quebec (Canada). Ecoscience, 4(4):521-525


Articles published in proceedings


  1. Fuentealba, A., Pureswaran, D., Bauce, E., Despland, E. (2018) Impacts de la synchronisation phénologique et de la chimie foliaire sur la performance de la tordeuse des bourgeons de l’épinette. In Proceeding of the annual meeting of the Societe d'entomologie du Québec. Québec, Canada
  2. Fuentealba, A., Despland, E., Pureswaran, D., Bauce, E. (2015) Black spruce susceptibility to Eastern spruce budworm defoliation under a changing climate: phenological and biochemical responses. In Proceedings of SERG International Workshop. Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, Canada, pages 292-303
  3. MacQuarrie, C.J.K., Cooke, B., Despland, E., Ethier, J., Evenden, M., Flaherty, L., Keddie, A. (2015) Improving predictive models of forest tent caterpillar outbreak dynamics. In Proceedings of SERG International Workshop. Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, Canada
  4. McClure, M., Gervais, D.J., Morcos, L., Parrott, L., Despland, E. (2009) Individual interactions to collective cooperation in the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria). In Proceedings of Cognitio 2007. (Cambridge Scholar Press Ltd, Eds.)


Scientific reports, manuals and others


None

Theses, dissertations and essays


  1. Despland, E. (1999) Small-scale environmental factors and Desert locust behaviour and phase state. PhD thesis, University of Oxford
  2. Despland, E. (1995) Reproduction et croissance du pin gris à la limite nord de sa répartition: influences climatiques et conflits d'allocation. Master's thesis, Université Laval


Supervised theses, dissertations and essays


  1. Ethier, J. (2013) Costs and Benefits of Melanism in the Malacosoma disstria Moth: Investigating the Maintenance of a Stable Polymorphism. PhD thesis, Concordia University
  2. Bourdier, T. (2012) Behavioral adaptations of the Eastern spruce budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to natural White spruce (Picea glauca (Moench)) resistance. Master's thesis, Concordia University
  3. Mader, B.J. (2010) Natural resistance of white spruce and the behavior of the eastern spruce budworm. Master's thesis, Concordia University
  4. Adlam, C. (2009) Seasonal and environmental variability of ground beetle (Coleoptera:Carabidae) assemblages at Mont St-Hilaire, QC. Master's thesis, Concordia University
  5. Shi, Z. (2007) Is Trypsin Inhibitor a Plant Defense Against the Larvae of the Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria)? Master's thesis, Concordia University
  6. Colasurdo, N. (2006) Nutritional ecology of the forest tent caterpillar. Master's thesis, Université Concordia
  7. Le Huu, A. (2004) The Effect of Trails and Group Size on the Performance and Behaviour of the Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma Distria Hubner). Master's thesis, Concordia University
  8. Noseworthy, M. (2004) The Role of Primary Nutrients in the Foraging Ecology of the Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma Disstria Ubner). Master's thesis, Concordia University


Non peer-reviewed articles


  1. Despland, E. (2021) Ces fourmis que cache la forêt. Le Couvert Boréal, Printemps:21
  2. Despland, E. (2010) Jacqueline Bede, une jeune chercheure dynamique. Antennae, 17(1):11


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