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Bouchard É, Bonin M, Sharma R, Hernández-Ortiz A, Gouin GG, Simon A, Leighton P, Jenkins E. Use of stable isotopes to reveal trophic relationships and transmission of a food-borne pathogen. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2812. [PMID: 38307906 PMCID: PMC10837197 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53369-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Predators in food webs are valuable sentinel species for zoonotic and multi-host pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan parasite is ubiquitous in warm-blooded vertebrates, and can have serious adverse effects in immunocompromised hosts and foetuses. In northern ecosystems, T. gondii is disproportionately prevalent in Inuit people and wildlife, in part due to multiple routes of transmission. We combined data on T. gondii infection in foxes from Nunavik (northern Québec, Canada) with stable isotope data tracking trophic relationships between foxes and several of their main prey species. Red (Vulpes vulpes) and Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) carcasses were collected by local trappers from 2015 to 2019. We used magnetic capture PCR to detect DNA of T. gondii in heart and brain tissues, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies in blood. By linking infection status with diet composition, we showed that infected foxes had a higher probability of consuming aquatic prey and migratory geese, suggesting that these may be important sources of T. gondii transmission in the Arctic. This use of stable isotopes to reveal parasite transmission pathways can be applied more broadly to other foodborne pathogens, and provides evidence to assess and mitigate potential human and animal health risks associated with T. gondii in northern ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Émilie Bouchard
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
- Research Group on Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada.
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC, H2L 2W5, Canada.
| | - Michaël Bonin
- Département de Biologie, Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Rajnish Sharma
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Adrián Hernández-Ortiz
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Géraldine-G Gouin
- Nunavik Research Centre, Makivvik Corporation, Kuujjuaq, QC, J0M 1C0, Canada
| | - Audrey Simon
- Research Group on Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Patrick Leighton
- Research Group on Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC, H2L 2W5, Canada
| | - Emily Jenkins
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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Bonin M, Dussault C, Taillon J, Pisapio J, Lecomte N, Côté SD. Diet flexibility of wolves and black bears in the range of migratory caribou. J Mammal 2023. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The diet of predators can be highly variable, which is exemplified by their ability to acclimate to a wide range of ecological conditions. Such flexibility in foraging may be a key aspect of their performance in unpredictable environments such as at the edge of the range of a species or where food availability varies greatly in time and space. Gaining information on the diets of predators under such conditions could foster our comprehension of their ecological flexibility and the potential role of predation on the population dynamics of prey. We determined the diet of wolves (Canis lupus) and black bears (Ursus americanus) in northern Québec and Labrador (Canada) within the range of two migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herds: the high-abundance Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (RFH) and low-abundance Rivière-George herd (RGH). Worldwide, decline in caribou populations has become a concern, stressing the need to better understand the factors involved in these declines, including predation. In northern Québec (RFH range), caribou was the primary year-round prey of wolves while moose (Alces alces) and muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were consumed in some sectors. The diet of wolves in northern Labrador (RGH range) varied seasonally, with caribou, moose, and fish as main prey during different periods throughout the year. Black bear diets varied seasonally and regionally. Among the foods we analyzed, caribou was the main source of animal protein for bears in northern Québec and northern Labrador, except during a high abundance of Ungava collared lemming (Dicrostonyx hudsonius). Only bears in northern Québec ate caribou during late summer/fall. Our results highlight the diet flexibility of wolves and black bears in northern food webs, and how their diets change in relation to the distribution and abundance of prey. Our results will help quantify the potential impact of these predators on prey populations in northern systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Bonin
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval , 2405 rue de la Terrasse, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
| | - Christian Dussault
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Direction de l’expertise sur la faune terrestre, l’herpétofaune et l’avifaune, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, 880 chemin Sainte-Foy , Québec City, Québec G1S 4X4 , Canada
| | - Joëlle Taillon
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Direction de l’expertise sur la faune terrestre, l’herpétofaune et l’avifaune, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, 880 chemin Sainte-Foy , Québec City, Québec G1S 4X4 , Canada
| | - John Pisapio
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Wildlife Division, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries, Forests and Agriculture , Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador A0P 1E0 , Canada
| | - Nicolas Lecomte
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval , 2405 rue de la Terrasse, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en écologie polaire et boréale et Centre d’études nordiques, département de biologie, Université de Moncton , 18 avenue Antonine-Maillet, Moncton, New Brunswick E1A 3E9 , Canada
| | - Steeve D Côté
- Caribou Ungava, département de biologie, Université Laval , 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
- Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval , 2405 rue de la Terrasse, Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 , Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P. Quinn
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Box 355020, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Aaron J. Wirsing
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Box 352100, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael Proctor
- Birchdale Ecological, P.O. Box 606, Kaslo, BC, V0G 1M0, Canada
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Abstract
Habitat modeling is one of the most common practices in ecology today, aimed at understanding complex associations between species and an array of environmental, bioclimatic, and anthropogenic factors. This review of studies of seven species of terrestrial bears (Ursidae) occupying four continents examines how habitat models have been employed, and the functionality of their predictions for management and conservation. Bear occurrence data have been obtained at the population level, as presence points (e.g., sign surveys or camera trapping), or as locations of individual radio-collared animals. Radio-collars provide greater insights into how bears interact with their environment and variability within populations; they are more commonly used in North America and Europe than in South America and Asia. Salient problematic issues apparent from this review included: biases in presence data; predictor variables being poor surrogates of actual behavioral drivers; predictor variables applied at a biologically inappropriate scale; and over-use of data repositories that tend to detach investigators from the species. In several cases, multiple models in the same area yielded different predictions; new presence data occurred outside the range of predicted suitable habitat; and future range projections, based on where bears presently exist, underestimated their adaptability. Findings here are likely relevant to other taxa.
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Hughes C, Steenweg RJ, Vander Vennen LM, Melnycky NA, Fullerton L, Witiw JT, Morehouse A. Working Together for Grizzly Bears: A Collaborative Approach to Estimate Population Abundance in Northwest Alberta, Canada. Front Conserv Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.719044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Grizzly bears are a threatened species in Alberta, Canada, and their conservation and management is guided by a provincial recovery plan. While empirical abundance and densities estimates have been completed for much of the province, empirical data are lacking for the northwest region of Alberta, a 2.8 million hectare area called Bear Management Area 1 (BMA 1). In part, this is due to limited staff capacity and funding to cover a vast geographic area, and a boreal landscape that is difficult to navigate. Using a collaborative approach, a multi-stakeholder working group called the Northwest Grizzly Bear Team (NGBT) was established to represent land use and grizzly bear interests across BMA 1. Collectively, we identified our project objectives using a Theory of Change approach, to articulate our interests and needs, and develop common ground to ultimately leverage human, social, financial and policy resources to implement the project. This included establishing 254 non-invasive genetic hair corral sampling sites across BMA 1, and using spatially explicit capture-recapture models to estimate grizzly bear density. Our results are two-fold: first we describe the process of developing and then operating within a collaborative, multi-stakeholder governance arrangement, and demonstrate how our approach was key to both improving relationships across stakeholders but also delivering on our grizzly bear project objectives; and, secondly we present the first-ever grizzly bear population estimate for BMA 1, including identifying 16 individual bears and estimating density at 0.70 grizzly bears/1,000 km2-the lowest recorded density of an established grizzly bear population in Alberta. Our results are not only necessary for taking action on one of Alberta's iconic species at risk, but also demonstrate the value and power of collaboration to achieve a conservation goal.
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