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Development and availability of the free-living stages of Ostertagia gruehneri, an abomasal parasite of barrenground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), on the Canadian tundra

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2012

BRYANNE M. HOAR ,
KATHREEN RUCKSTUHL  and
SUSAN KUTZ
BRYANNE M. HOAR*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3350 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary AB, CanadaT2N 4N1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary AB, CanadaT2N 1N4
KATHREEN RUCKSTUHL
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary AB, CanadaT2N 1N4
SUSAN KUTZ
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3350 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary AB, CanadaT2N 4N1
*
*Corresponding author: 50 Guy Street, New Victoria, Nova Scotia, CanadaB1H 5B3. E-mail: bmhoar@ucalgary.ca
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Summary

Climate change in the Arctic is anticipated to alter the ecology of northern ecosystems, including the transmission dynamics of many parasite species. One parasite of concern is Ostertagia gruehneri, an abomasal nematode of Rangifer ssp. that causes reduced food intake, weight loss, and decreased pregnancy rates in reindeer. We investigated the development, availability, and overwinter survival of the free-living stages of O. gruehneri on the tundra. Fecal plots containing O. gruehneri eggs were established in the Northwest Territories, Canada under natural and artificially warmed conditions and sampled throughout the growing season of 2008 and the spring of 2009. Infective L3 were present 3–4 weeks post-establishment from all trials under both treatments, except for the trial established 4 July 2008 under warmed conditions wherein the first L3 was recovered 7 weeks post-establishment. These plots were exposed to significantly more time above 30°C than the natural plots established on the same date, suggesting a maximum temperature threshold for development. There was high overwinter survival of L2 and L3 across treatments and overwintering L2 appeared to develop to L3 the following spring. The impact of climate change on O. gruehneri is expected to be dynamic throughout the year with extreme maximum temperatures negatively impacting development rates.

Keywords

Ostertagia gruehnerilarval developmentlarval availabilityclimate warmingparasiteoverwinteringArcticRangifer ssp
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 139 , Issue 8 , July 2012 , pp. 1093 - 1100
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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