Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)
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...
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ftunivcalgary:oai:prism.ucalgary.ca:1880/117686 2024-09-15T18:17:08+00:00 Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) Hee, Olivia Kutz, Susan Pruvot, Mathieu Adamczewski, Jan 2023-12-08 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117686 https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 en eng Graduate Studies University of Calgary 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. https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117686 https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 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. Ovibos moschatus Hair Wildlife health Pregnancy Arctic Veterinary Science master thesis 2023 ftunivcalgary https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 2024-07-30T23:46:18Z 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 ... Master Thesis Kugluktuk muskox Northwest Territories Nunavut ovibos moschatus Ulukhaktok PRISM - University of Calgary Digital Repository |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
PRISM - University of Calgary Digital Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcalgary |
language |
English |
topic |
Ovibos moschatus Hair Wildlife health Pregnancy Arctic Veterinary Science |
spellingShingle |
Ovibos moschatus Hair Wildlife health Pregnancy Arctic Veterinary Science Hee, Olivia Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
topic_facet |
Ovibos moschatus Hair Wildlife health Pregnancy Arctic Veterinary Science |
description |
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 ... |
author2 |
Kutz, Susan Pruvot, Mathieu Adamczewski, Jan |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Hee, Olivia |
author_facet |
Hee, Olivia |
author_sort |
Hee, Olivia |
title |
Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
title_short |
Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
title_full |
Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
title_fullStr |
Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Leveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) |
title_sort |
leveraging community-based samples to assess health and reproduction of muskoxen (ovibos moschatus) |
publisher |
Graduate Studies |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117686 https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 |
genre |
Kugluktuk muskox Northwest Territories Nunavut ovibos moschatus Ulukhaktok |
genre_facet |
Kugluktuk muskox Northwest Territories Nunavut ovibos moschatus Ulukhaktok |
op_relation |
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. https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117686 https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 |
op_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. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42529 |
_version_ |
1810455128568758272 |