The predator-prey relationship from a zoogeomorphic perspective: An example with red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and bank swallow (Riparia riparia), Canada

In eastern Canada, the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet over the last ~12,000 years, corresponding to the Holocene – the present interglacial period - has left immense quantities of surficial sediments over the entire territory. Today, these sediments still represent in a very variable way in time and space, an abundant source of fine and coarse sediments for fluvial and coastal systems and, to a lesser extent, for mass movements. Although the geomorphological dynamics of landscapes have been studied for a long time, biotic factors and particularly animals have not yet been deeply studied in terms of their interactions with the abiotic world. The present contribution sheds new light on the geomorphological impact of the trophic relationship between red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and bank swallow (Riparia riparia). Indeed, the predator-prey relationship between these two species and their behaviours accentuate the erosion of sandy cliffs where swallows nest, because by red fox makes foraging pits to reach the eggs and young swallows. Even if our data based on a four-year survey indicate low rates of cliff recession related to biotic effects compared to the impact of extreme hydrological events, it remains that they contribute to the sediment budget at short and long term. In that regard, we have documented over the last four years from an original point of view the common relationship predator-prey with a geomorphic perspective and propose to discuss this topic with significant field dataset.