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Barboza PS, Shively RD, Thompson DP. Robust Responses of Female Caribou to Changes in Food Supply. ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 97:29-52. [PMID: 38717369 DOI: 10.1086/729668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
AbstractUngulates can respond to changes in food supply by altering foraging behavior, digestive function, and metabolism. A multifaceted response to an environmental change is considered robust. Short seasons of plant growth make herbivores sensitive to changes in food supply because maintenance and production must be accomplished in less time with fewer options in a more fragile response. Caribou live at high latitudes where short summers constrain their response to changes in food supply. We measured the ability of female caribou to resist and tolerate changes in the quality and quantity of their food supply during winter and summer. Caribou resisted changes in food abundance and quality by changing food intake and physical activity with changes in daily temperature within each season. Peak food intake rose by 134% from winter pregnancy to summer lactation (98 vs. 229 g kg-0.75 d-1), as digestible requirements to maintain the body increased by 85% for energy (1,164 vs. 2,155 kJ kg-0.75 d-1) and by 266% for N (0.79 vs. 2.89 g N kg-0.75 d-1). Caribou required a diet with a digestible content of 12 kJ g-1 and 0.8% N in pregnancy, 18 kJ g-1 and 1.9% N in early lactation, and 11 kJ g-1 and 1.2% N in late lactation, which corresponds with the phenology of the wild diet. Female caribou tolerated restriction of ad lib. food intake to 58% of their energy requirement (680 vs. 1,164 kJ kg-0.75 d-1) during winter pregnancy and to 84% of their energy requirement (1,814 vs. 2,155 kJ kg-0.75 d-1) during summer lactation without a change in stress level, as indicated by fecal corticosterone concentration. Conversely, caribou can respond to increased availability of food with a spare capacity to process digestible energy and N at 123% (2,642 vs. 2,155 kJ kg-0.75 d-1) and 145% (4.20 vs. 2.89 g N kg-0.75 d-1) of those respective requirements during lactation. Robust responses to changes in food supply allow caribou to sustain reproduction, which would buffer demographic response. However, herds may decline when thresholds of behavioral resistance and physiological tolerance are frequently exceeded. Therefore, the challenge for managing declining populations of caribou and other robust species is to identify declines in robustness before their response becomes fragile.
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Miller JH, Wald EJ, Druckenmiller P. Shed female caribou antlers extend records of calving activity on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by millennia. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1059456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have among the longest annual migrations of any terrestrial mammal as they move from winter ranges to spring calving grounds. Biomonitoring records indicate broad consistencies in calving geography across the last several decades, but how long have herds used particular calving grounds? Furthermore, how representative are modern patterns of calving geography to periods that pre-date recent climatic perturbations and increased anthropogenic stresses? While modern ecological datasets are not long enough to address these questions, bones from past generations of caribou lying on the tundra provide unique opportunities to study historical calving geography. This is possible because female caribou shed their antlers within days of giving birth, releasing a skeletal indicator of calving. Today, the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska) is a key calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH). To test the duration across which caribou have used this area as a calving ground, we radiocarbon dated three highly weathered female antlers collected from tundra surfaces on the Coastal Plain. Calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate that these antlers were shed between ~1,600 and more than 3,000 calendar years ago. The antiquity of these shed antlers provides the first physical evidence of calving activity on the PCH calving grounds from previous millennia, substantiating the long ecological legacy of the Coastal Plain as a caribou calving ground. Comparisons to published lake core records also reveal that dates of two of the antlers correspond to periods with average summer temperatures that were warmer than has been typical during the last several decades of biomonitoring. This finding expands the range of climatic settings in which caribou are known to use the current PCH calving grounds and suggests that the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge may remain an important caribou calving ground during at least portions of predicted future warming. Discarded skeletal materials provide opportunities to assess the historical states of living populations, including aspects of reproductive biology and migration. Particularly in high-latitude settings, these insights can extend across millennia and offer rare glimpses into the past that can inform current and future management policies.
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Navarro N, Diefenbach DR, McDill ME, Domoto EJ, Rosenberry CS, Drohan PJ. Species and physiographic factors drive Indian cucumber root and Canada mayflower plant chemistry: Implications for white-tailed deer forage quality. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 326:116545. [PMID: 36401903 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nutrition is fundamental to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) management given its relationship to habitat carrying capacity and population productivity. Ecological Sites (ESs) are a United States federal landscape management unit of specific land potential due to unique soils, topography, climate, parent material, and perhaps deer forage nutritional value. We present results of a study that extends the use of ESs to inform white-tailed deer management by evaluating indicator plant chemistry in two spring forb species, Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana) and Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), across the northcentral Appalachians. We sampled spring forbs and underlying soils across two ESs: Dry, upland, oak-maple-hemlock hardwood forest (OMH) and Deep soil, high slope, northern hardwood forests (NHF). Plant elemental content, soil pH, and site aspect, slope and elevation were measured. Our results show that forb chemistry differs between species and within a species geographically. Indian cucumber root, as compared to Canada mayflower, has significantly higher Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, and Zn, and lower Mn. Canada mayflower in the NHF ES, versus OMH ES, was found to have significantly higher K, Mn, and B. Indian cucumber root in the NHF ES, versus the OMH ES, was found to have significantly higher Mg, Al, Fe, and Ca:P ratio but lower K. Linear discriminant analysis shows that plant tissue Mn was the best discriminator between species, and between ESs, Canada mayflower plant tissue Mn and Indian cucumber plant tissue P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn were best discriminators. Given that nutrition determines habitat carrying capacity, differences in forage nutrition between ESs may have different potentials to support deer. Forage nutrition is an important aspect of deer habitat conditions and carrying capacity, thus ESs are likely to support deer populations with different growth potential, which means that even if the same plant species occur in different ESs their nutritional value to deer may differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Navarro
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Duane R Diefenbach
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Marc E McDill
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Emily J Domoto
- Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA, 17110-9797, USA
| | | | - Patrick J Drohan
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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Jutha N, Jardine C, Schwantje H, Mosbacher J, Kinniburgh D, Kutz S. Evaluating the use of hair as a non-invasive indicator of trace mineral status in woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269441. [PMID: 35763458 PMCID: PMC9239472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Trace mineral imbalances can have significant effects on animal health, reproductive success, and survival. Monitoring their status in wildlife populations is, therefore, important for management and conservation. Typically, livers and kidneys are sampled to measure mineral status, but biopsies and lethal-sampling are not always possible, particularly for Species at Risk. We aimed to: 1) determine baseline mineral levels in Northern Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; Gmelin, 1788) in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, and 2) determine if hair can be used as an effective indicator of caribou mineral status by evaluating associations between hair and organ mineral concentrations. Hair, liver, and kidney samples from adult male caribou (nHair = 31; nLiver, nKidney = 43) were collected by guide-outfitters in 2016-2018 hunting seasons. Trace minerals and heavy metals were quantified using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and organ and hair concentrations of same individuals were compared. Some organ mineral concentrations differed from other caribou populations, though no clinical deficiency or toxicity symptoms were reported in our population. Significant correlations were found between liver and hair selenium (rho = 0.66, p<0.05), kidney and hair cobalt (rho = 0.51, p<0.05), and liver and hair molybdenum (rho = 0.37, p<0.10). These findings suggest that hair trace mineral assessment may be used as a non-invasive and easily-accessible way to monitor caribou selenium, cobalt, and molybdenum status, and may be a valuable tool to help assess overall caribou health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naima Jutha
- Department of Pathobiology–Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Claire Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology–Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative—Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Helen Schwantje
- Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development–Wildlife and Habitat Branch, Government of British Columbia, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada (Emeritus status)
| | - Jesper Mosbacher
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health–Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - David Kinniburgh
- Alberta Centre for Toxicology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Susan Kutz
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health–Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Hollingsworth KA, Shively RD, Glasscock SN, Light JE, Tolleson DR, Barboza PS. Trace mineral supplies for populations of little and large herbivores. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248204. [PMID: 33720946 PMCID: PMC7959371 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) are essential trace minerals for the reproduction, growth, and immunity of mammalian herbivore populations. We examined the relationships between Cu, Fe, and Zn in soils, common plants, and hepatic stores of two wild herbivores to assess the effects of weather, sex, and population density on the transfer of trace minerals from soils to mammals during the growing season. Soils, grasses, woody browse, hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were sampled across 19 sites. Concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Zn in grasses and browse species were not correlated with concentrations of those minerals in soils sampled from the same areas. Leaves of woody browse were higher in Cu, lower in Fe, and similar in Zn when compared with grasses. Available concentrations of soils were positively related to liver Cu and Zn in hispid cotton rats, which was consistent with the short lives and high productivity of these small mammals that rely on grass seed heads. Interactions between soil concentrations and weather also affected liver Cu and Fe in deer, which reflected the greater complexity of trophic transfers in large, long-lived, browsing herbivores. Population density was correlated with liver concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Zn in hispid cotton rats, and concentrations of Cu and Fe in deer. Liver Cu was < 5 mg/kg wet weight in at least 5% of animals at two of eight sites for hispid cotton rats and < 3.8 mg/kg wet weight in at least 5% of animals at three of 12 sites for deer, which could indicate regional limitation of Cu for populations of mammalian herbivores. Our data indicate that supplies of trace minerals may contribute to density dependence of herbivore populations. Local population density may therefore influence the prevalence of deficiency states and disease outbreak that exacerbate population cycles in wild mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. A. Hollingsworth
- Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - R. D. Shively
- Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - S. N. Glasscock
- Welder Wildlife Foundation, Sinton, Texas, United States of America
| | - J. E. Light
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - D. R. Tolleson
- Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station, Texas A&M University, Sonora, Texas, United States of America
| | - P. S. Barboza
- Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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Gamberg M, Pratte I, Brammer J, Cuyler C, Elkin B, Gurney K, Kutz S, Larter NC, Muir D, Wang X, Provencher JF. Renal trace elements in barren-ground caribou subpopulations: Temporal trends and differing effects of sex, age and season. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 724:138305. [PMID: 32272411 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are a culturally significant food resource for communities in northern Canada and Greenland. Many barren-ground caribou subpopulations are currently in decline, some dramatically; understanding the influence of stressors, such as toxic trace metals, is important. These contaminants enter Arctic terrestrial environments via atmospheric transport from industrialized areas and from local sources, accumulating there in the environment. Understanding how trace element concentrations interact and are influenced by caribou sex, age and season of collection is essential to evaluating trends in these elements over time and differences among subpopulations. We used path analysis to model the direct and indirect relationships between these variables in the Porcupine subpopulation and in barren-ground caribou from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Renal cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and mercury (Hg) varied significantly among subpopulations. Hg was positively correlated with Cd, Cu and selenium (Se) in female Porcupine caribou whereas Cd and Cu were negatively correlated in male Porcupine caribou. Age, season and sex influenced all three element concentrations and should be considered when comparing elements among caribou subpopulations or years. Renal Cd decreased slightly from the Canadian Western Arctic to Greenland and increased slightly over time, possibly reflecting patterns of atmospheric deposition. Renal Hg did not change significantly over time, and differences among subpopulations did not follow specific geographical patterns. Renal Cu declined over time, the changes being markedly different among subpopulations, sexes and seasons. This temporal decline is likely due to changes in diet, which could be driven by various environmental factors. Declining Cu concentrations in caribou is of concern as low levels could negatively affect reproductive success and therefore caribou at a population level. Continuing to monitor element concentrations in caribou is essential to better comprehend potential threats facing the species, and to promote food security in communities harvesting this important resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Gamberg
- Gamberg Consulting, Whitehorse, Canada.
| | - I Pratte
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau, Canada
| | - J Brammer
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - C Cuyler
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - B Elkin
- Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Yellowknife, Canada
| | - K Gurney
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - S Kutz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - N C Larter
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, Fort Simpson, Canada
| | - D Muir
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Canada
| | - X Wang
- Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Canada
| | - J F Provencher
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau, Canada
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Barboza PS, Shively RD, Gustine DD, Addison JA. Winter Is Coming: Conserving Body Protein in Female Reindeer, Caribou, and Muskoxen. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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Freezer meals: comparative value of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) push-ups as late-winter forage for a northern ungulate. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-019-1301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Renaud LA, Blanchet FG, Cohen AA, Pelletier F. Causes and short-term consequences of variation in milk composition in wild sheep. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:857-869. [PMID: 30883718 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ecologists seek to understand the fitness consequences of variation in physiological markers, under the hypothesis that physiological state is linked to variability in individual condition and life history. Thus, ecologists are often interested in estimating correlations between entire suites of correlated traits, or biomarkers, but sample size limitations often do not allow us to do this properly when large numbers of traits or biomarkers are considered. Latent variables are a powerful tool to overcome this complexity. Recent statistical advances have enabled a new class of multivariate models-multivariate hierarchical modelling (MHM) with latent variables-which allow to statistically estimate unstructured covariances/correlations among traits with reduced constraints on the number of degrees of freedom to account in the model. It is thus possible to highlight correlated structures in potentially very large numbers of traits. Here, we apply MHM to evaluate the relative importance of individual differences and environmental effects on milk composition and identify the drivers of this variation. We ask whether variation in bighorn sheep milk affects offspring fitness. We evaluate whether mothers show repeatable individual differences in the concentrations of 11 markers of milk composition, and we investigate the relative importance of annual variability, maternal identity and morphological traits in structuring milk composition. We then use variance estimates to investigate how a subset of repeatable milk markers influence lamb summer survival. Repeatability of milk markers ranged from 0.05 to 0.64 after accounting for year-to-year variations. Milk composition was weakly but significantly associated with maternal mass in June and September, summer mass gain and winter mass loss. Variation explained by year-to-year fluctuations ranged from 0.07 to 0.91 suggesting a strong influence of environmental variability on milk composition. Milk composition did not affect lamb survival to weaning. Using joint models in ecological, physiological or behavioural contexts has the major advantage of decomposing a (co)variance/correlation matrix while being estimated with fewer parameters than in a "traditional" mixed-effects model. The joint models presented here complement a growing list of tools to analyse correlations at different hierarchical levels separately and may thus represent a partial solution to the conundrum of physiological complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limoilou-Amelie Renaud
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Alan A Cohen
- Department of Family Medicine, Centre de Recherche du CHUS, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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