Abstracts
Résumé
L’écureuil gris (Sciurus carolinensis) est un mammifère largement répandu dans l’est de l’Amérique du Nord. Ce rongeur présente principalement 2 couleurs de pelage : gris et noir. L’albinisme et le leucisme sont des variations phénotypiques plus rares. La forme mélanique est particulièrement fréquente au nord de l’aire de répartition de l’espèce et en milieu urbain. Dès le début du 20e siècle, des hypothèses ont été formulées pour tenter d’expliquer cette répartition phénotypique. Cette revue de littérature vise à synthétiser les connaissances scientifiques sur le mélanisme chez l’écureuil gris. Spécifiquement, elle a pour objectifs de : 1) dresser un portrait de la variabilité phénotypique chez cette espèce, en portant une attention particulière à la forme mélanique et à sa répartition ; 2) décrire les hypothèses avancées pour expliquer les variations dans la répartition de la forme mélanique et les recherches menées pour les tester ; 3) définir de futures avenues pour la recherche.
Mots-clés :
- adaptation,
- écureuil,
- mélanisme,
- polymorphisme de couleur,
- Sciurus carolinensis
Abstract
The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a mammal in the order Rodentia. It is widely distributed across eastern North America and has several colour morphs. The two most common pelage phenotypes are grey and black, with albino and leucistic individuals being rarer. The melanistic morph is especially common in the northern part of the range and in urban areas. Since the early 20th century, hypotheses have been proposed to explain this distribution. This literature review summarizes the scientific knowledge on melanism in the grey squirrel. Specifically, it aims to: 1) provide an overview of colour polymorphism in this species, with a focus on the melanistic form and its distribution; 2) present the hypotheses put forward to explain the distribution of the melanistic form and the studies conducted to test them; and 3) discuss avenues for future research.
Keywords:
- adaptation,
- colour polymorphism,
- melanism,
- Sciurus carolinensis,
- squirrel
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Appendices
Remerciements
Je remercie Constance Morel, 2 réviseurs anonymes et l’équipe éditoriale du Naturaliste canadien pour leurs commentaires et leurs suggestions qui ont contribué à la qualité de cette revue de littérature.
Note biographique
André-Philippe Drapeau Picard est biologiste et préposé aux renseignements entomologiques à l’Insectarium de Montréal. Il s’intéresse notamment à la biodiversité urbaine et aux sciences participatives.
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