Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)
Date
2023-12-08
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Abstract
The muskox (Ovibos moschatus), is a keystone species that is important for ecosystem health, subsistence, and culture. Despite their importance, several populations in the Canadian Arctic have experienced declines. Collaborations with communities and harvesters give us a better understanding of the drivers of these declines, and simultaneously help alleviate some barriers to research in the Arctic. In my thesis, I aimed to refine the use of harvester-based samples to improve muskox health and reproduction monitoring. First, I investigated the use of segmental analyses of guard hairs in muskoxen. I specifically asked whether there was a generalizable guard hair growth rate that could be applied for temporal assessment of biomarkers. To do this, I investigated guard hair growth rates from captive muskoxen over time and across body locations. I found that growth rates were faster than a previously described rate, and that growth rates varied intra-annually and across body locations. These findings indicate that there is not a generalizable guard hair growth rate, and that hair growth patterns at an individual level need to be considered. Second, I evaluated two methods for pregnancy determination in muskoxen: pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) in filter paper samples and fecal progesterone metabolites (FPM). I first tested captive pregnant and non-pregnant muskoxen, and found that measuring PAG was highly accurate for diagnosing pregnancy during gestation. Quantifying FPM concentrations was less specific in early- and late-gestation, but was accurate in mid-winter. PAG levels followed a biphasic pattern during gestation, with a decrease in January, while FPM concentrations were low in early- and late-gestation, and high in winter. I applied these tests to samples collected from wild muskoxen by harvesters from Kugluktuk and Ekaluktutiak, Nunavut, and Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. I observed similar patterns in PAG levels and FPM concentrations, and diagnostic utility, in the wild muskoxen. With practical and reliable tools, we create more robust wildlife health monitoring programs, which in turn supports ecosystem and community health. As the Arctic is experiencing unprecedented changes, wildlife health surveillance is more important than ever to respond effectively to threats to wildlife and human populations.
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Keywords
Ovibos moschatus, Ovibos moschatus, Hair, Wildlife health, Pregnancy, Hair, Arctic
Citation
Hee, O. (2023). Leveraging community-based samples to assess health and reproduction of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.