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

• Main Author: Hee, Olivia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Graduate Studies 2023
• Subjects: Ovibos moschatus; Hair; Wildlife health; Pregnancy; Arctic; Veterinary Science; muskox; ovibos moschatus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/42529; https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/117686

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 ...