Genomic association with pathogen carriage in bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis )

Abstract Founder effects, genetic bottlenecks, and genetic drift in general can lead to low levels of genetic diversity, which can influence the persistence of populations. We examine genetic variation in two populations of desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis from New Mexico and Mexico to measure change over time and evaluate the impact of introducing individuals from one population into the other. Over about three generations, the amount of genetic variation in the New Mexico population increased. In contrast, over about two generations the amount of genetic variation in the Mexican population decreased by a great extent compared with an estimate from another Mexican population from which it is primarily descended. The potential reasons for these changes are discussed. In addition, although both populations have low genetic variation, introduction of Mexican rams into the New Mexico population might increase the amount of genetic variation in the New Mexico population. Overall, it appears that management to increase genetic variation might require substantial detailed monitoring and evaluation of ancestry from the different sources and fitness components.

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Infection of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) with Myxovirus parainfluenza-3 and Other Respiratory Viruses. Results of Serologic Tests and Culture of Nasal Swabs and Lung Tissue

Bulletin of the Wildlife Disease Association ◽

10.7589/0090-3558-2.2.34 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 34-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. L. HOWE ◽

G. T. WOODS ◽

G. MARQUIS

Keyword(s):

Lung Tissue ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Respiratory Viruses ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Serologic Tests ◽

Nasal Swabs

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Factors influencing heart rate in free-ranging bighorn sheep: a physiological approach to the study of wildlife harassment

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z79-265 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 57 (10) ◽

pp. 2010-2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Robert A. MacArthur ◽

Ronald H. Johnston ◽

Valerius Geist

Keyword(s):

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Activity Level ◽

Base Line ◽

Vehicular Traffic ◽

Behavioral Reactions ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Close Range ◽

Physiological Approach ◽

Free Ranging

The telemetered heart rates (HR) of unrestrained female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) were recorded under various behavioral and environmental circumstances. In all ewes HR varied positively with activity level and inversely with distance to a road traversing the study area. The HR recorded from animals moving at night or through timber by day were higher than during daytime movement across open slopes.Responses to transient stimuli varied greatly. The appearance of free-ranging canids evoked maximal increases in HR in all ewes. Vehicular traffic and aircraft elicited HR responses only at close range (< 200 m). Most (78.1%) HR responses to disturbing stimuli preceded or occurred in the absence of overt behavioral reactions. The HR usually peaked within 60 s of the onset of the response and recovered to predisturbance base line in less than 200 s. The appearance and continued presence (1–10 min) of a human within 50 m of the sheep resulted in a 20% rise in mean HR. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the behavior, ecology, and bioenergetics of bighorn sheep.

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Differences in leukocyte differentiation molecule abundances on domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) neutrophils identified by flow cytometry

Comparative Immunology Microbiology and Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.cimid.2016.04.006 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 40-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Margaret A. Highland ◽

David A. Schneider ◽

Stephen N. White ◽

Sally A. Madsen-Bouterse ◽

Donald P. Knowles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flow Cytometry ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Ovis Aries ◽

Domestic Sheep

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Linking population performance to nutritional condition in an alpine ungulate

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.1093/jmammal/gyaa091 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 101 (5) ◽

pp. 1244-1256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thomas R Stephenson ◽

David W German ◽

E Frances Cassirer ◽

Daniel P Walsh ◽

Marcus E Blum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Fat ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Nutritional Condition ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Population Increase ◽

Overwinter Survival ◽

Fat Reserves ◽

Adult Females ◽

Free Body

Abstract Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) can live in extremely harsh environments and subsist on submaintenance diets for much of the year. Under these conditions, energy stored as body fat serves as an essential reserve for supplementing dietary intake to meet metabolic demands of survival and reproduction. We developed equations to predict ingesta-free body fat in bighorn sheep using ultrasonography and condition scores in vivo and carcass measurements postmortem. We then used in vivo equations to investigate the relationships between body fat, pregnancy, overwinter survival, and population growth in free-ranging bighorn sheep in California and Nevada. Among 11 subpopulations that included alpine winter residents and migrants, mean ingesta-free body fat of lactating adult females during autumn ranged between 8.8% and 15.0%; mean body fat for nonlactating females ranged from 16.4% to 20.9%. In adult females, ingesta-free body fat > 7.7% during January (early in the second trimester) corresponded with a > 90% probability of pregnancy and ingesta-free body fat > 13.5% during autumn yielded a probability of overwinter survival > 90%. Mean ingesta-free body fat of lactating females in autumn was positively associated with finite rate of population increase (λ) over the subsequent year in bighorn sheep subpopulations that wintered in alpine landscapes. Bighorn sheep with ingesta-free body fat of 26% in autumn and living in alpine environments possess energy reserves sufficient to meet resting metabolism for 83 days on fat reserves alone. We demonstrated that nutritional condition can be a pervasive mechanism underlying demography in bighorn sheep and characterizes the nutritional value of their occupied ranges. Mountain sheep are capital survivors in addition to being capital breeders, and because they inhabit landscapes with extreme seasonal forage scarcity, they also can be fat reserve obligates. Quantifying nutritional condition is essential for understanding the quality of habitats, how it underpins demography, and the proximity of a population to a nutritional threshold.

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How Water Can Affect Keratin: Hydration‐Driven Recovery of Bighorn Sheep ( Ovis Canadensis ) Horns

Advanced Functional Materials ◽

10.1002/adfm.201901077 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1901077 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wei Huang ◽

Alireza Zaheri ◽

Wen Yang ◽

David Kisailus ◽

Robert O. Ritchie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis

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In vitro prion protein conversion suggests risk of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

BMC Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/1746-6148-9-157 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 157 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aaron R Morawski ◽

Christina M Carlson ◽

Haeyoon Chang ◽

Christopher J Johnson

Keyword(s):

Prion Protein ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies ◽

Spongiform Encephalopathies

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Ecological correlates of pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep herds

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z01-103 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 79 (8) ◽

pp. 1423-1432 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Ryan J Monello ◽

Dennis L Murray ◽

E Frances Cassirer

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Domestic Sheep ◽

Population Declines ◽

Density Dependent ◽

Temperature Regimes ◽

Reservoir Hosts ◽

The Relationship ◽

Population Numbers

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations commonly experience pneumonia outbreaks caused by Pasteurella spp. that result in a partial or complete dieoff. Although several factors can contribute to Pasteurella spp. transmission or infectivity in bighorn sheep, to date the importance of such factors in population declines has not been rigorously examined. We evaluated the relationship between pneumonia-induced dieoffs in bighorn sheep and environmental and biological factors by analyzing demographic information for 99 herds across the species' geographic range. Our analysis revealed that 88% of pneumonia-induced dieoffs occurred at or within 3 years of peak population numbers, which implies that density-dependent forces such as food shortage or stress contribute to bighorns' susceptibility to pneumonia. There were few differences in the growth rates of dieoff and non-dieoff populations, suggesting that pneumonia did not manifest itself demographically prior to an outbreak. On average, abundance of lambs was most dramatically reduced post outbreak (66%) relative to that of either rams (35%) or ewes (42%). Deviations in normal precipitation and temperature regimes were not associated with the onset of pneumonia outbreaks, but herds found in proximity to domestic sheep tended to be more susceptible to dieoff. Our results suggest that bighorn sheep herds are rendered vulnerable to pneumonia principally through density-dependent factors, as well as through horizontal transmission of Pasteurella spp. from domestic sheep serving as reservoir hosts.

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