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Dickinson ER, Nwafor-Okoli C, Checkley SL, Elkin B, Branigan M, Serrano E, Kutz SJ. Direct and indirect costs of parasitism preceding a population decline of an Arctic ungulate. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17133. [PMID: 39054352 PMCID: PMC11272786 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67904-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Parasites negatively affect the fitness of ungulate hosts directly, and in wild ungulates, these effects may be synzootic with other stressors, such as limited nutritional resources. In the Arctic, muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) occur in a highly seasonal environment and must rely on finite energetic resources for survival and productivity. We investigated the costs of gastrointestinal nematodes on the body condition and reproductive status of 141 muskoxen, on Banks Island, Canada, when the population was at a peak in numbers and density. Using a Partial Least Squares Path Modelling approach, we found that high adult nematode abundance was associated with lower body condition, and high parasite abundance was associated with female reproduction including the indirect effect through on body condition (n = 87). These findings suggest that individuals prioritize energetic reserves for reproduction over parasite defence. In fall 2003, a severe icing event that restricted access to forage was associated with high overwinter mortality of muskoxen and a population crash. Through direct and indirect costs of parasite infection on body condition and reproduction, the high abundance of parasites may have contributed to the effects of this extreme weather event. Understanding the mechanisms in which parasites impact fitness can help explain the ecological drivers of ungulate populations and predict the interactions between the environment and populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Dickinson
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Chinyere Nwafor-Okoli
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sylvia L Checkley
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Brett Elkin
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 1Y3, Canada
| | - Marsha Branigan
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Inuvik, NT, X0E 0T0, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Susan J Kutz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 University Drive, NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
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Stewart FEC, Micheletti T, Cumming SG, Barros C, Chubaty AM, Dookie AL, Duclos I, Eddy I, Haché S, Hodson J, Hughes J, Johnson CA, Leblond M, Schmiegelow FKA, Tremblay JA, McIntire EJB. Climate-informed forecasts reveal dramatic local habitat shifts and population uncertainty for northern boreal caribou. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2816. [PMID: 36752658 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2816] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Most research on boreal populations of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) has been conducted in areas of high anthropogenic disturbance. However, a large portion of the species' range overlaps relatively pristine areas primarily affected by natural disturbances, such as wildfire. Climate-driven habitat change is a key concern for the conservation of boreal-dependent species, where management decisions have yet to consider knowledge from multiple ecological domains integrated into a cohesive and spatially explicit forecast of species-specific habitat and demography. We used a novel ecological forecasting framework to provide climate-sensitive projections of habitat and demography for five boreal caribou monitoring areas within the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, over 90 years. Importantly, we quantify uncertainty around forecasted mean values. Our results suggest habitat suitability may increase in central and southwest regions of the NWT's Taiga Plains ecozone but decrease in southern and northwestern regions driven by conversion of coniferous to deciduous forests. We do not project that boreal caribou population growth rates will change despite forecasted changes to habitat suitability. Our results emphasize the importance of efforts to protect and restore northern boreal caribou habitat despite climate uncertainty while highlighting expected spatial variations that are important considerations for local people who rely on them. An ability to reproduce previous work, and critical thought when incorporating sources of uncertainty, will be important to refine forecasts, derive management decisions, and improve conservation efficacy for northern species at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances E C Stewart
- Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Tatiane Micheletti
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Steven G Cumming
- Department of Wood and Forest Science, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Ceres Barros
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Isabelle Duclos
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Ian Eddy
- Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Samuel Haché
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - James Hodson
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Josie Hughes
- Landscape Science and Technology Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Cheryl A Johnson
- Landscape Science and Technology Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mathieu Leblond
- Landscape Science and Technology Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Fiona K A Schmiegelow
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Yukon University, Yukon Research Centre, Whitehorse, YT, Canada
| | - Junior A Tremblay
- Department of Wood and Forest Science, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Eliot J B McIntire
- Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Carlson M, Young H, Linnard A, Ryan M. Supplementing Environmental Assessments with Cumulative Effects Scenario Modeling for Grizzly Bear Connectivity in the Bow Valley, Alberta, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:1066-1077. [PMID: 36180642 PMCID: PMC9622508 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01720-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Persistence of sensitive wildlife in populated regions requires conservation strategies that address gradual expansion of development footprint and human activity. The project-based environmental assessment regime for municipal development is poorly suited to provide necessary strategic perspective, given its focus on local and short-term impacts. We used the ALCES cumulative effects model to strategically assess impacts to grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Bow Valley of Alberta, Canada. Landscape simulation mapped expansion of past and potential future development footprint in the region over multiple decades. Consequences to movement connectivity for grizzly bears were estimated by applying a least cost path analysis to the landscape simulation. An index of recreational activity was derived from fitness tracking data and integrated with the landscape simulation to model change in recreational activity through time. Maps of grizzly bear connectivity and recreational activity were combined to calculate human-bear conflict risk. The analysis suggests that connectivity has been altered through displacement to upslope areas by settlement expansion, such that surrounding natural areas have become important for grizzly bear connectivity. These areas are also popular for outdoor recreation, resulting in elevated human-bear conflict risk which can be expected to increase if development and human activity continue to expand in high connectivity areas. Conservation of wildlife in populated regions will be supported by broadening the scope of environmental assessment to address cumulative effects of development footprint and human activity over large spatial and temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hilary Young
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Canmore, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Adam Linnard
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
| | - Max Ryan
- Integral Ecology Group, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
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Johnson CJ, Ray JC, St‐Laurent M. Efficacy and ethics of intensive predator management to save endangered caribou. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chris J. Johnson
- Ecosystem Science and Management University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Justina C. Ray
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Martin‐Hugues St‐Laurent
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski, Centre for Forest Research, Centre for Northern Studies Rimouski Québec Canada
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