Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus
Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilita...
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ftunivnebraskali:oai:digitalcommons.unl.edu:icwdm_usdanwrc-3339 2023-11-12T04:00:18+01:00 Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus Ellingwood, Daniel D. Pekins, Peter J Jones, Henry Musante, Anthony R. 2020-05-13T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/2347 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdm_usdanwrc/article/3339/viewcontent/Ellingwood_WB_2020_Evaluating_moose.pdf unknown DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/2347 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdm_usdanwrc/article/3339/viewcontent/Ellingwood_WB_2020_Evaluating_moose.pdf USDA Wildlife Services - Staff Publications Alces alces Dermacentor albipictus epizootic modeling moose mortality New Hampshire population survival winter tick Animal Sciences Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Natural Resources Management and Policy Other Environmental Sciences Other Veterinary Medicine Population Biology Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Veterinary Infectious Diseases Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Veterinary Preventive Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Zoology text 2020 ftunivnebraskali 2023-10-30T11:55:27Z Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) saw a marked reduction in calf survival (< 50%), adult calving (< 60%), twinning rate (< 5%) and complete loss of yearling productivity. We conducted population viability analysis using VORTEX ver. 10.2 to model this moose population for 40 years using mean demographics from both time periods, including environmental variation measured in the field during winter tick epizootic (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016) and non-epizootic (2003, 2004, 2005, 2017) years. This exercise highlights the influence of winter tick infestation on the trajectory of the population with the potential for rapid population growth or decline depending on the frequency of epizootics. We suggest a shift in moose management strategy focused on lowering moose density, assuming continued influence of climate change on the host-parasite relationship. Text Alces alces University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnebraskali |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Alces alces Dermacentor albipictus epizootic modeling moose mortality New Hampshire population survival winter tick Animal Sciences Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Natural Resources Management and Policy Other Environmental Sciences Other Veterinary Medicine Population Biology Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Veterinary Infectious Diseases Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Veterinary Preventive Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Zoology |
spellingShingle |
Alces alces Dermacentor albipictus epizootic modeling moose mortality New Hampshire population survival winter tick Animal Sciences Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Natural Resources Management and Policy Other Environmental Sciences Other Veterinary Medicine Population Biology Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Veterinary Infectious Diseases Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Veterinary Preventive Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Zoology Ellingwood, Daniel D. Pekins, Peter J Jones, Henry Musante, Anthony R. Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
topic_facet |
Alces alces Dermacentor albipictus epizootic modeling moose mortality New Hampshire population survival winter tick Animal Sciences Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Natural Resources Management and Policy Other Environmental Sciences Other Veterinary Medicine Population Biology Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Veterinary Infectious Diseases Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Veterinary Preventive Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Zoology |
description |
Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) saw a marked reduction in calf survival (< 50%), adult calving (< 60%), twinning rate (< 5%) and complete loss of yearling productivity. We conducted population viability analysis using VORTEX ver. 10.2 to model this moose population for 40 years using mean demographics from both time periods, including environmental variation measured in the field during winter tick epizootic (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016) and non-epizootic (2003, 2004, 2005, 2017) years. This exercise highlights the influence of winter tick infestation on the trajectory of the population with the potential for rapid population growth or decline depending on the frequency of epizootics. We suggest a shift in moose management strategy focused on lowering moose density, assuming continued influence of climate change on the host-parasite relationship. |
format |
Text |
author |
Ellingwood, Daniel D. Pekins, Peter J Jones, Henry Musante, Anthony R. |
author_facet |
Ellingwood, Daniel D. Pekins, Peter J Jones, Henry Musante, Anthony R. |
author_sort |
Ellingwood, Daniel D. |
title |
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
title_short |
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
title_full |
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
title_fullStr |
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evaluating moose Alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks Dermacentor albipictus |
title_sort |
evaluating moose alces alces population response to infestation level of winter ticks dermacentor albipictus |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/2347 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdm_usdanwrc/article/3339/viewcontent/Ellingwood_WB_2020_Evaluating_moose.pdf |
genre |
Alces alces |
genre_facet |
Alces alces |
op_source |
USDA Wildlife Services - Staff Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/2347 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdm_usdanwrc/article/3339/viewcontent/Ellingwood_WB_2020_Evaluating_moose.pdf |
_version_ |
1782327332364615680 |