Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)

Hee, Olivia

Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)

dc.contributor.advisor	Kutz, Susan
dc.contributor.author	Hee, Olivia
dc.contributor.committeemember	Pruvot, Mathieu
dc.contributor.committeemember	Adamczewski, Jan
dc.date.accessioned	2023-12-11T16:39:00Z
dc.date.available	2023-12-11T16:39:00Z
dc.date.issued	2023-12-08
dc.description.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.
dc.identifier.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.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117686
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Ovibos moschatus
dc.subject	Ovibos moschatus
dc.subject	Hair
dc.subject	Wildlife health
dc.subject	Pregnancy
dc.subject	Hair
dc.subject	Arctic
dc.subject.classification	Veterinary Science
dc.title	Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Veterinary Medical Sciences
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.