Publications

non-destructive lichen biomass estimation in northwestern alaska: a comparison of methods.	terrestrial lichen biomass is an important indicator of forage availability for caribou in northern regions, and can indicate vegetation shifts due to climate change, air pollution or changes in vascular plant community structure. techniques for estimating lichen biomass have traditionally required destructive harvesting that is painstaking and impractical, so we developed models to estimate biomass from relatively simple cover and height measurements. we measured cover and height of forage lich ...	2014	25079228
'you shall not pass!': quantifying barrier permeability and proximity avoidance by animals.	impediments to animal movement are ubiquitous and vary widely in both scale and permeability. it is essential to understand how impediments alter ecological dynamics via their influence on animal behavioural strategies governing space use and, for anthropogenic features such as roads and fences, how to mitigate these effects to effectively manage species and landscapes. here, we focused primarily on barriers to movement, which we define as features that cannot be circumnavigated but may be cross ...	2016	25056207
ungulate saliva inhibits a grass-endophyte mutualism.	fungal endophytes modify plant-herbivore interactions by producing toxic alkaloids that deter herbivory. however, studies have neglected the direct effects herbivores may have on endophytes. antifungal properties and signalling effectors in herbivore saliva suggest that evolutionary pressures may select for animals that mitigate the effects of endophyte-produced alkaloids. here, we tested whether saliva of moose (alces alces) and european reindeer (rangifer tarandus) reduced hyphal elongation an ...	2014	25055816
two missense mutations in melanocortin 1 receptor (mc1r) are strongly associated with dark ventral coat color in reindeer (rangifer tarandus).	the protein-coding region of melanocortin 1 receptor (mc1r) was sequenced to identify potential variation affecting coat color in reindeer (rangifer tarandus). a t→c sequence variation at nucleotide position 218 (c.218t>c) causing an amino acid (aa) change from methionine to threonine at aa position 73 (p.met73thr) was identified. in addition, a t→g sequence variation was found at nucleotide position 839 (c.839t>g), causing phenylalanine to be exchanged by cysteine at aa position 280 (p.phe280cy ...	2014	25039753
sunscreening fungal pigments influence the vertical gradient of pendulous lichens in boreal forest canopies.	pendulous lichens dominate canopies of boreal forests, with dark bryoria species in the upper canopy vs. light alectoria and usnea species in lower canopy. these genera offer important ecosystem services such as winter forage for reindeer and caribou. the mechanism behind this niche separation is poorly understood. we tested the hypothesis that species-specific sunscreening fungal pigments protect underlying symbiotic algae differently against high light, and thus shape the vertical canopy gradi ...	2014	25039211
behavioural strategies towards human disturbances explain individual performance in woodland caribou.	behavioural strategies may have important fitness, ecological and evolutionary consequences. in woodland caribou, human disturbances are associated with higher predation risk. between 2004 and 2011, we investigated if habitat selection strategies of female caribou towards disturbances influenced their calf's survival in managed boreal forest with varying intensities of human disturbances. calf survival was 53% and 43% after 30 and 90 days following birth, respectively, and 52% of calves that die ...	2014	25034087
observed cold season changes in a fennoscandian fell area over the past three decades.	we studied trends and variability in snow and climate characteristics in 1978-2012 in the värriötunturit fell area, northern finland. cold season changes were examined using long-term observational data on snow depths, meteorological data, large-scale climate indices, and reindeer herders' experiences with difficult snow conditions. snow depths declined, and temperatures increased significantly over the study period, with the largest changes observed in october-december and in april. snow depths ...	2015	25001240
climate-driven effects of fire on winter habitat for caribou in the alaskan-yukon arctic.	climatic warming has direct implications for fire-dominated disturbance patterns in northern ecosystems. a transforming wildfire regime is altering plant composition and successional patterns, thus affecting the distribution and potentially the abundance of large herbivores. caribou (rangifer tarandus) are an important subsistence resource for communities throughout the north and a species that depends on terrestrial lichen in late-successional forests and tundra systems. projected increases in ...	2014	24991804
uniting statistical and individual-based approaches for animal movement modelling.	the dynamic nature of their internal states and the environment directly shape animals' spatial behaviours and give rise to emergent properties at broader scales in natural systems. however, integrating these dynamic features into habitat selection studies remains challenging, due to practically impossible field work to access internal states and the inability of current statistical models to produce dynamic outputs. to address these issues, we developed a robust method, which combines statistic ...	2014	24979047
trophodynamics of current use pesticides and ecological relationships in the bathurst region vegetation-caribou-wolf food chain of the canadian arctic.	the bioaccumulation of current use pesticides (cups) and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were investigated in vegetation-caribou-wolf food chain in the bathurst region (nunavut, canada). volumetric bioconcentration factors (bcf(v)) in vegetation were generally greatest for dacthal (10-12) ≥ endosulfan sulfate (10-11) > ß-endosulfan (>9.0-9.7) ≥ pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb; 8.4-9.6) > α-endosulfan (8.3-9.3) > chlorpyrifos (8.0-8.7) >chlorothalonil (7.6-8.3). the bcf(v) values in vegetati ...	2014	24975230
phenology and cover of plant growth forms predict herbivore habitat selection in a high latitude ecosystem.	the spatial and temporal distribution of forage quality is among the most central factors affecting herbivore habitat selection. yet, for high latitude areas, forage quantity has been found to be more important than quality. studies on large ungulate foraging patterns are faced with methodological challenges in both assessing animal movements at the scale of forage distribution, and in assessing forage quality with relevant metrics. here we use first-passage time analyses to assess how reindeer ...	2014	24972188
fatty acids composition and food consumption among reindeer herders and urban inhabitants of the european north of russia.	the goal of this study was to examine the fatty acid (fa) composition of the total plasma lipids of the native inhabitants of the russian european north, taking into consideration the differences in lifestyles and nutritional habits as well as the interrelationship between the plasma fa profile and nutrition.	2014	24959699
aboveground and belowground legacies of native sami land use on boreal forest in northern sweden 100 years after abandonment.	human activities that involve land-use change often cause major transformations to community and ecosystem properties both aboveground and belowground, and when land use is abandoned, these modifications can persist for extended periods. however, the mechanisms responsible for rapid recovery vs. long-term maintenance of ecosystem changes following abandonment remain poorly understood. here, we examined the long-term ecological effects of two remote former settlements, regularly visited for -300 ...	2014	24933815
neanderthal infant and adult infracranial remains from marillac (charente, france).	at the site of marillac, near the ligonne river in marillac-le-franc (charente, france), a remarkable stratigraphic sequence has yielded a wealth of archaeological information, palaeoenvironmental data, as well as faunal and human remains. marillac must have been a sinkhole used by neanderthal groups as a hunting camp during mis 4 (tl date 57,600 ± 4,600bp), where quina mousterian lithics and fragmented bones of reindeer predominate. this article describes three infracranial skeleton fragments. ...	2014	24919796
review of canadian species of the genera gnathusa fenyes, mniusa mulsant & rey and ocyusa kraatz (coleoptera, staphylinidae, aleocharinae).	four species of gnathusa fenyes (g. alfacaribou klimaszewski & langor, g. caribou lohse, g. eva fenyes, and g. tenuicornis fenyes) occur in the nearctic and in canada. three species of ocyusa kraatz (o. asperula casey, o. californica bernhauer, o. canadensis lohse), and three species of mniusa mulsant and ray (m. minutissima (klimaszewski & langor), m. yukonensis (klimaszewski & godin), and m. odelli klimaszewski & webster, sp. n.), are known from the nearctic and all but o. californica occur in ...	2014	24899860
seroprevalence of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and tick-borne encephalitis virus in zoo animal species in the czech republic.	this study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against borrelia bugdorferi (bb) s.l. and tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) in zoo animals in the czech republic. we collected 133 serum samples from 69 animal species from 5 zoos located in different parts of the country. the samples were obtained from even-toed ungulates (n=78; 42 species), odd-toed ungulates (n=32; 11 species), carnivores (n=13; 9 species), primates (n=2, 2 species), birds (n=3; 2 species), and reptiles (n=5 ...	2014	24889036
mercury in the canadian arctic terrestrial environment: an update.	contaminants in the canadian arctic have been studied over the last twenty years under the guidance of the northern contaminants program. this paper provides the current state of knowledge on mercury (hg) in the canadian arctic terrestrial environment. snow, ice, and soils on land are key reservoirs for atmospheric deposition and can become sources of hg through the melting of terrestrial ice and snow and via soil erosion. in the canadian arctic, new data have been collected for snow and ice tha ...	2015	24861531
community resilience factors among indigenous sámi adolescents: a qualitative study in northern norway.	this qualitative study explores community resilience factors within an indigenous sámi community in northern norway. semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 informants, 12 females and 10 males, ranging in age from 13 to 19 years old, 12 of whom had reindeer husbandry affiliation. data analysis used a modified grounded theory approach and narrative analysis. interpretation of the data was based on ecological perspectives theory and the identification of possible community resilience fact ...	2014	24846701
reindeer introgression and the population genetics of caribou in southwestern alaska.	alaska caribou (rangifer tarandus granti) in southwestern alaska are a poorly understood system, with differing descriptions of their regional population structure, population abundance that has varied greatly through time and instances of the release of domestic reindeer (r. t. tarandus) into their range. here, we use 21 microsatellites and 297 individuals to investigate the genetic population structure of herds and examine for population bottlenecks. then, using genetic characteristics of exis ...	2014	24842565
cross-amplification of nonspecific microsatellites markers: a useful tool to study endangered/vulnerable species of southern andes deer.	thirty-nine microsatellite loci that are highly conserved in red deer, sika deer, reindeer, soay sheep, and other artiodactyls were tested in two vulnerable and endangered neotropical deer (pudu: pudu puda and huemul: hippocamelus bisulcus) with the aim of producing a standardized set of markers that can be used successfully in noninvasive samples from these species. we also compared these nonspecific loci against eight polymorphic loci that were recently developed for huemul to determine whethe ...	2014	24841651
confirming hypoderma tarandi (diptera: oestridae) human ophthalmomyiasis by larval dna barcoding.	dna barcoding is a practical tool for species identification, when morphological classification of an organism is difficult. herein we describe the utilisation of this technique in a case of ophthalmomyiasis interna. a 12-year-old boy was infested during a summer holiday in northern norway, while visiting an area populated with reindeer. following medical examination, a diptera larva was surgically removed from the boy's eye and tentatively identified from its morphological traits as hypoderma t ...	2014	24827102
a 9,000-year-old caribou hunting structure beneath lake huron.	some of the most pivotal questions in human history necessitate the investigation of archaeological sites that are now under water. nine thousand years ago, the alpena-amberley ridge (aar) beneath modern lake huron was a dry land corridor that connected northeast michigan to southern ontario. the newly discovered drop 45 drive lane is the most complex hunting structure found to date beneath the great lakes. the site and its associated artifacts provide unprecedented insight into the social and s ...	2014	24778246
risk-sensitive reproductive allocation: fitness consequences of body mass losses in two contrasting environments.	for long-lived organisms, the fitness value of survival is greater than that of current reproduction. asymmetric fitness rewards suggest that organisms inhabiting unpredictable environments should adopt a risk-sensitive life history, predicting that it is adaptive to allocate resources to increase their own body reserves at the expense of reproduction. we tested this using data from reindeer populations inhabiting contrasting environments and using winter body mass development as a proxy for the ...	2014	24772280
highly competitive reindeer males control female behavior during the rut.	during the rut, female ungulates move among harems or territories, either to sample mates or to avoid harassment. females may be herded by a male, may stay with a preferred male, or aggregate near a dominant male to avoid harassment from other males. in fission-fusion group dynamics, female movement is best described by the group's fission probability, instead of inter-harem movement. in this study, we tested whether male herding ability, female mate choice or harassment avoidance influence fiss ...	2014	24759701
food expenditure patterns in the canadian arctic show cause for concern for obesity and chronic disease.	little is understood about the economic factors that have influenced the nutrition transition from traditional to store-bought foods that are typically high in fat and sugar amongst people living in the canadian arctic. this study aims to determine the pattern of household food expenditure in the canadian arctic.	2014	24739761
use of length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (lh-pcr) as non-invasive approach for dietary analysis of svalbard reindeer, rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus.	to efficiently investigate the forage preference of svalbard reindeer (rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), we applied length-heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (lh-pcr) based on length differences of internal transcribed spacer (its) regions of ribosomal rna (rrna) to fecal samples from r. tarandus platyrhynchus. a length-heterogeneity (lh) database was constructed using both collected potential food sources of svalbard reindeer and fecal samples, followed by pcr, cloning and sequencing. in t ...	2014	24618847
potential role of soil properties in the spread of cwd in western canada.	chronic wasting disease (cwd) is a horizontally transmissible prion disease of free ranging deer, elk and moose. recent experimental transmission studies indicate caribou are also susceptible to the disease. cwd is present in southeast alberta and southern saskatchewan. this cwd-endemic region is expanding, threatening manitoba and areas of northern alberta and saskatchewan, home to caribou. soil can serve as a stable reservoir for infectious prion proteins; prions bound to soil particles remain ...	2016	24618673
temporal variability in arctic fox diet as reflected in stable-carbon isotopes; the importance of sea ice.	consumption of marine foods by terrestrial predators can lead to increased predator densities, potentially impacting their terrestrial resources. for arctic foxes (alopex lagopus), access to such marine foods in winter depends on sea ice, which is threatened by global climate change. to quantify the importance of marine foods (seal carrion and seal pups) and document temporal variation in arctic fox diet i measured the ratios of the stable isotopes of carbon ((13)c/(12)c) in hair of arctic foxes ...	2002	24599371
acute impacts of the deer ked (lipoptena cervi) infestation on reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) behaviour.	blood-sucking ectoparasites have often a strong impact on the behaviour of their hosts. the annual insect harassment of reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) has increased in the southern part of the finnish reindeer herding area because of the recent invasion of a blood-feeding ectoparasitic louse-fly, the deer ked (lipoptena cervi). we studied the impact of the deer ked on the behaviour of reindeer. twelve reindeer were infested with a total of 300 keds/reindeer on six occasions in a 5-week pe ...	2014	24562815
morphological and molecular characteristics of four sarcocystis spp. in canadian moose (alces alces), including sarcocystis taeniata n. sp.	individual sarcocysts were isolated from fresh or alcohol-fixed muscle samples of two moose from alberta, canada, and examined by light (lm) and scanning electron microscopy (sem) and molecular methods, comprising polymerase chain reaction (pcr) amplification and sequencing of the complete18s rrna gene and the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i gene (cox1). by lm, four sarcocyst types were recognized, and the sequencing results showed that each type represented a distinct species, i.e. sarco ...	2014	24535735
warble infestations by hypoderma tarandi (diptera; oestridae) recorded for the first time in west greenland muskoxen.	in the northern hemisphere, caribou (rangifer spp.) populations are known to be infested with the skin-penetrating ectoparasite, hypoderma tarandi (diptera; oestridae). although regarded as host specific, h. tarandi has been reported from other species, and has become of increasing concern as a zoonosis infecting humans. in february 2012, concurrent with the hunting of muskoxen, we examined carcasses for muscle and tissue parasites, and recorded warble larvae infestations. dna extracted from sam ...	2013	24533338
divergent parasite faunas in adjacent populations of west greenland caribou: natural and anthropogenic influences on diversity.	gastrointestinal parasite diversity was characterised for two adjacent populations of west greenland caribou (rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) through examinations of abomasa and small intestines collected from adult and subadult females during late winter. three trichostrongyline (trichostrongylina: nematoda) species were identified from the abomasa, although none were recovered from the small intestines, with faunal composition differing between the caribou populations. in caribou from kangerl ...	2013	24533335
a nearctic parasite in a palearctic host: parelaphostrongylus andersoni (nematoda; protostrongylidae) infecting semi-domesticated reindeer in alaska.	parelaphostrongylus andersoni is a muscle-dwelling protostrongylid nematode that infects caribou and white-tailed deer across north america, and can cause significant muscular and pulmonary pathology in these species. we collected 44 fecal samples from semi-domesticated reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) from the kakarak herd of western seward peninsula, alaska, usa. this herd has no record of historical contact and extremely limited possibility of contemporary contact with native grant's car ...	2013	24533324
surveillance for echinococcus canadensis genotypes in canadian ungulates.	the geographic and host distribution, prevalence and genotypes of echinococcus canadensis in wild ungulates in canada are described to better understand the significance for wildlife and public health. we observed e. canadensis in 10.5% (11/105) of wild elk (wapiti; cervus canadensis) in riding mountain national park, manitoba, examined at necropsy, over two consecutive years (2010-2011). molecular characterization of hydatid cyst material from these elk, as well as three other intermediate wild ...	2013	24533321
isotopic nitrogen in fecal fiber as an indicator of winter diet in caribou and muskoxen.	the ratios of stable nitrogen isotopes (δ(15)n values) in excreta have been used to examine aspects of trophic and nutritional ecology across taxa. nitrogen fractions in feces of herbivores include endogenous (e.g., sloughed intestinal cells, unresorbed digestive secretions, and microbial debris) and dietary sources. for animals such as large herbivores, that have diets and feces with high concentrations of indigestible fiber, endogenous (15)n may constrain the use of fecal δ(15)n values to esti ...	2014	24519825
dietary supplementation of usnic acid, an antimicrobial compound in lichens, does not affect rumen bacterial diversity or density in reindeer.	reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) may include large proportions of lichens in their winter diet. these dietary lichens are rich in phenolic secondary compounds, the most well-known being the antimicrobial usnic acid. previous studies have shown that reindeer host rumen bacteria resistant to usnic acid and that usnic acid is quickly detoxified in their rumen. in the present study, reindeer (n = 3) were sampled before, during, and after usnic acid supplementation to determine the effect on the ...	2014	24509720
physiologic evaluation of medetomidine-ketamine anesthesia in free-ranging svalbard (rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus).	previously published studies indicated that combinations of medetomidine and ketamine were effective for both svalbard (rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus). both previous studies indicated that reindeer were hypoxemic on the basis of pulse oximetry. we conducted a physiologic evaluation of these two protocols using arterial blood gases. medetomidine (10 mg) and ketamine (200 mg) were administered by dart from the ground in svalbard reindeer ( ...	2013	24502737
blood collected on filter paper for wildlife serology: evaluating storage and temperature challenges of field collections.	filter-paper (fp) blood sampling can facilitate wildlife research and expand disease surveillance. previous work indicated that nobuto fp samples from caribou and reindeer (rangifer tarandus subspecies) had comparable sensitivity and specificity to serum samples (≥ 80% for both) in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (celisas) for brucella spp., neospora caninum, and west nile virus. the same sensitivity and specificity criteria were met in indirect elisas for brucella spp., bovine he ...	2014	24499329
blood collected on filter paper for wildlife serology: detecting antibodies to neospora caninum, west nile virus, and five bovine viruses in reindeer.	we compared nobuto filter paper (fp) whole-blood samples to serum for detecting antibodies to seven pathogens in reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus). serum and fp samples were collected from captive reindeer in 2008-2009. sample pairs (serum and fp eluates) were assayed in duplicate at diagnostic laboratories with the use of competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (celisas) for neospora caninum and west nile virus (wnv); indirect elisa (ielisas) for bovine herpesvirus type 1 (bhv-1), pa ...	2014	24484497
persistent organic pollutant levels in semi-domesticated reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus l.), feed, lichen, blood, milk, placenta, foetus and calf.	a study concerning persistent organic pollutants in finnish semi-domesticated reindeer was conducted in northern finland. the aim of this study was to explore pop presence in different tissues of reindeer. in addition, it was studied how pops are transported from food concentrates and lichen to reindeer hind tissues and further to the placenta, foetus, milk and calf. concentrations of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (pcdds/fs), 37 polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) (includin ...	2014	24463250
accounting for individual behavioural variation in studies of habitat selection.	a caribou wearing an animal-borne video camera (a) and animal-borne video footage taken from systems deployed on mule deer (odocoileus hemionus) in north-central washington state, usa (b-d). when paired with tracking technology, animal-borne video can reveal detailed information about behaviour and environmental features at each location: (b) feeding, (c) vigilant in the open, (d) vigilant in cover, (e) resting in the open. accordingly, animal-borne video systems should allow for analyses of hab ...	2014	24428597
rutting behavior and androgen variation in reindeer (rangifer tarandus l.).	the rutting behavior of captive reindeer was studied during three rutting seasons. blood samples from three males were taken for androgen analysis before, during, and afterthe rut. the amount of androgen increased at the end of august to a peak during late september-early october and decreased thereafter. flehmen, urinating on the hindlegs, and two different low-stretch displays emerged during the prerut period. the preorbital gland enlarged and secretion occurred at the rim of the pocket. a con ...	1981	24420483
infestation by hypoderma tarandi in reindeer calves from northern finland--prevalence and risk factors.	serum samples from 953 reindeer (rangifer t. tarandus) calves-of-the-year from 21 reindeer herding co-operatives in finland in slaughter season 2006/2007 were assayed for antibodies against hypodermin c by an elisa detecting igg. data on presence of hypoderma tarandi larvae on 12,327 reindeer hides from 17 of the 21 herding co-operatives in slaughter season 2005/2006 were included for support. elisa showed a seroprevalence of 60.9%, with no significant difference between females and males, and i ...	2014	24412359
physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of pops in greenlanders.	human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (pops) and the potential health impact in the arctic far from the emission sources have been highlighted in numerous studies. as a supplement to human pop biomonitoring studies, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (pbpk) model was set up to estimate the fate of pops in greenlandic inuit's liver, blood, muscle and adipose tissue following long-term exposure to traditional greenlandic diet. the pbpk model described metabolism, excretion and pop a ...	2014	24382481
investigating the prehistory of tungusic peoples of siberia and the amur-ussuri region with complete mtdna genome sequences and y-chromosomal markers.	evenks and evens, tungusic-speaking reindeer herders and hunter-gatherers, are spread over a wide area of northern asia, whereas their linguistic relatives the udegey, sedentary fishermen and hunter-gatherers, are settled to the south of the lower amur river. the prehistory and relationships of these tungusic peoples are as yet poorly investigated, especially with respect to their interactions with neighbouring populations. in this study, we analyse over 500 complete mtdna genome sequences from ...	2013	24349531
whole transcriptome characterization of the effects of dehydration and rehydration on cladonia rangiferina, the grey reindeer lichen.	lichens are symbiotic organisms with a fungal and an algal or a cyanobacterial partner. lichens inhabit some of the harshest climates on earth and most lichen species are desiccation-tolerant. lichen desiccation-tolerance has been studied at the biochemical level and through proteomics, but the underlying molecular genetic mechanisms remain largely unexplored. the objective of our study was to examine the effects of dehydration and rehydration on the gene expression of cladonia rangiferina.	2013	24325588
inferring parturition and neonate survival from movement patterns of female ungulates: a case study using woodland caribou.	analyses of animal movement data have primarily focused on understanding patterns of space use and the behavioural processes driving them. here, we analyzed animal movement data to infer components of individual fitness, specifically parturition and neonate survival. we predicted that parturition and neonate loss events could be identified by sudden and marked changes in female movement patterns. using gps radio-telemetry data from female woodland caribou (rangifer tarandus caribou), we develope ...	2013	24324866
phenolic responses of mountain crowberry (empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum) to global climate change are compound specific and depend on grazing by reindeer (rangifer tarandus).	mountain crowberry (empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum) is a keystone species in northern ecosystems and exerts important ecosystem-level effects through high concentrations of phenolic metabolites. it has not been investigated how crowberry phenolics will respond to global climate change. in the tundra, grazing by reindeer (rangifer tarandus) affects vegetation and soil nutrient availability, but almost nothing is known about the interactions between grazing and global climate change on plant ...	2013	24287946
towards an energetic landscape: broad-scale accelerometry in woodland caribou.	energetic balance is a central driver of individual survival and population change, yet estimating energetic costs in free- and wide-ranging animals presents a significant challenge. animal-borne activity monitors (using accelerometer technology) present a promising method of meeting this challenge and open new avenues for exploring energetics in natural settings. to determine the behaviours and estimated energetic costs associated with a given activity level, three captive reindeer (rangifer ta ...	2014	24286372
sarcocystis species in red deer revisited: with a re-description of two known species as sarcocystis elongata n. sp. and sarcocystis truncata n. sp. based on mitochondrial cox1 sequences.	in a previous investigation, five sarcocystis species were described from norwegian red deer and believed to be conspecific with species occurring in either reindeer or moose based on sarcocyst morphology and nucleotide sequences of the nuclear ribosomal dna unit. the aim of the present study was to characterize numerous isolates of these sarcocyst types at the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i gene (cox1) in order to corroborate or refute previous species designations of sarcocystis ...	2014	24230915
a survey of tularemia in wild mammals from fennoscandia.	a total of 2696 wild mammals from fennoscandia were surveyed for tularemia. francisella tularensis was not detected in livers/spleens or kidneys from any of the 1992 small rodents captured in norway and denmark as judged by one or more of the following methods: cultivation, immunofluorescence microscopy and inoculation in laboratory mice. serologic examination of 704 wild mammals from norway, finland and sweden demonstrated 11 cases of antibody titers. agglutinating antibodies were demonstrated ...	1977	24228959
disentangling woodland caribou movements in response to clearcuts and roads across temporal scales.	although prey species typically respond to the most limiting factors at coarse spatiotemporal scales while addressing biological requirements at finer scales, such behaviour may become challenging for species inhabiting human altered landscapes. we investigated how woodland caribou, a threatened species inhabiting north-american boreal forests, modified their fine-scale movements when confronted with forest management features (i.e. clearcuts and roads). we used gps telemetry data collected betw ...	2013	24223713
what to eat now? shifts in polar bear diet during the ice-free season in western hudson bay.	under current climate trends, spring ice breakup in hudson bay is advancing rapidly, leaving polar bears (ursus maritimus) less time to hunt seals during the spring when they accumulate the majority of their annual fat reserves. for this reason, foods that polar bears consume during the ice-free season may become increasingly important in alleviating nutritional stress from lost seal hunting opportunities. defining how the terrestrial diet might have changed since the onset of rapid climate chan ...	2013	24223286
the importance of observation versus process error in analyses of global ungulate populations.	population abundance data vary widely in quality and are rarely accurate. the two main components of error in such data are observation and process error. we used bayesian state space models to estimate the observation and process error in time-series of 55 globally distributed populations of two species, cervus elaphus (elk/red deer) and rangifer tarandus (caribou/reindeer). we examined variation among populations and species in the magnitude of estimates of error components and density depende ...	2013	24201239
explaining geographic gradients in winter selection of landscapes by boreal caribou with implications under global changes in eastern canada.	many animal species exhibit broad-scale latitudinal or longitudinal gradients in their response to biotic and abiotic components of their habitat. although knowing the underlying mechanism of these patterns can be critical to the development of sound measures for the preservation or recovery of endangered species, few studies have yet identified which processes drive the existence of geographical gradients in habitat selection. using extensive spatial data of broad latitudinal and longitudinal e ...	2013	24194942
shifting mirrors: adaptive changes in retinal reflections to winter darkness in arctic reindeer.	arctic reindeer experience extreme changes in environmental light from continuous summer daylight to continuous winter darkness. here, we show that they may have a unique mechanism to cope with winter darkness by changing the wavelength reflection from their tapetum lucidum (tl). in summer, it is golden with most light reflected back directly through the retina, whereas in winter it is deep blue with less light reflected out of the eye. the blue reflection in winter is associated with significan ...	2013	24174115
theoretical foundations for a quantitative approach to paleogenetics : part ii: proteins.	it is shown that simply counting the number of amino acid differences between two homologous present day proteins may underestimate the number of mutagenic events that have occurred by more than a factor of three. in a previous paper (part i) it was shown how to correct quantitatively for multiple mutagenic events at the same base site and for back mutation at that site. in this paper formulas are derived to correct for multiple mutagenic events within the same codon triplet and for the degenera ...	1972	24173437
the influence of landscape matrix on isolated patch use by wide-ranging animals: conservation lessons for woodland caribou.	for conservation purposes, it is important to design studies that explicitly quantify responses of focal species to different land management scenarios. here, we propose an approach that combines the influence of landscape matrices with the intrinsic attributes of remaining habitat patches on the space use behavior of woodland caribou (rangifer tarandus caribou), a threatened subspecies of rangifer. we sought to link characteristics of forest remnants and their surrounding environment to caribou ...	2013	24101980
linking habitat selection and predation risk to spatial variation in survival.	a central assumption underlying the study of habitat selection is that selected habitats confer enhanced fitness. unfortunately, this assumption is rarely tested, and in some systems, gradients of predation risk may more accurately characterize spatial variation in vital rates than gradients described by habitat selection studies. here, we separately measured spatial patterns of both resource selection and predation risk and tested their relationships with a key demographic trait, adult female s ...	2014	24099266
impacts of human disturbance on large prey species: do behavioral reactions translate to fitness consequences?	anthropogenic disturbances have been demonstrated to affect animal behavior, distribution, and abundance, but assessment of their impacts on fitness-related traits has received little attention. we hypothesized that human activities and infrastructure cause a decrease in the individual performance of preys because of anthropogenically enhanced predation risk. we evaluated the impacts of commercial logging and road networks on the fitness of a large herbivore known to be sensitive to human distur ...	2013	24040029
nitrogen allocation to offspring and milk production in a capital breeder.	nitrogen (n) is a limiting nutrient for many herbivores, especially when plant availability and n content are low during the period of maternal investment, which is common for arctic ungulates. we used natural abundance of n isotopes to quantify allocation of maternal nitrogen to neonatal calves and milk in wild migratory caribou (rangifer tarandus). we contrasted female-calf pairs from two herds in northern quebec/labrador, canada: rivière-george herd (rg; low population size with heavy calves) ...	2013	24015525
preferred habitat and effective population size drive landscape genetic patterns in an endangered species.	landscape genetics provides a framework for pinpointing environmental features that determine the important exchange of migrants among populations. these studies usually test the significance of environmental variables on gene flow, yet ignore one fundamental driver of genetic variation in small populations, effective population size, n(e). w(e) combined both approaches in evaluating genetic connectivity of a threatened ungulate, woodland caribou. we used least-cost paths to calculate matrices o ...	2013	24004939
animal source food intake and association with blood cholesterol, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids in a northern swedish population.	the high intake of game meat in populations with a subsistence-based diet may affect their blood lipids and health status.	2013	23984293
the earliest case of extreme sexual display with exaggerated male organs by two middle jurassic mecopterans.	many extant male animals exhibit exaggerated body parts for display, defense or offence in sexual selection, such as male birds of paradise showing off colorful and elegant feathers and male moose and reindeers bearing large structured antlers. for insects, male rhinoceros and stag beetles have huge horn-like structure for fighting and competition and some male leptopanorpa scorpionflies have very long abdominal terminal segments for sexual display and competition. fossil records of insects havi ...	2013	23977031
effects of increase in temperature and open water on transmigration and access to health care by the nenets reindeer herders in northern russia.	the indigenous nenets reindeer herders in northern russia annually migrate several hundred kilometers between summer and winter pastures. in the warming climate, ice-rich permafrost and glaciers are being significantly reduced and will eventually disappear from parts of the arctic. the emergent changes in hydrological cycles have already led to substantial increases in open water that stays unfrozen for longer periods of time. this environmental change has been reported to compromise the nomadic ...	2013	23971018
probiotic dosing of ruminococcus flavefaciens affects rumen microbiome structure and function in reindeer.	highly cellulolytic bacterial species such as ruminococcus flavefaciens are regarded essential for the microbial breakdown of cellulose in the rumen. we have investigated the effect of ruminal dosing of r. flavefaciens strain 8/94-32 during realimentation of starved reindeer (males, n = 3). microbiome function measured as in situ digestion of cellulose and food pellets (percent dmd; dry matter disappearance) decreased after probiotic dosing. microbial community analyses (>100,000 16s rdna gene s ...	2013	23959114
enhanced understanding of predator-prey relationships using molecular methods to identify predator species, individual and sex.	predator species identification is an important step in understanding predator-prey interactions, but predator identifications using kill site observations are often unreliable. we used molecular tools to analyse predator saliva, scat and hair from caribou calf kills in newfoundland, canada to identify the predator species, individual and sex. we sampled dna from 32 carcasses using cotton swabs to collect predator saliva. we used fragment length analysis and sequencing of mitochondrial dna to di ...	2014	23957886
the reindeer of hope: an occupational therapy program in a homeless shelter.	summary this article describes a successfully designed and implemented program created for mentally ill homeless men by level ii occupational therapy students from eastern kentucky university. outcomes for the clients, the staff and the students were extremely positive and have contributed to the appreciation and acceptance of occupational therapy as a discipline that can contribute to the health of this underserved population. this model demonstrates the effectiveness of university sponsored fi ...	2002	23944335
johan turi's animal, mineral, vegetable cures and healing practices: an in-depth analysis of sami (saami) folk healing one hundred years ago.	the healing knowledge of a sami (saami) hunter and reindeer herder was surveyed as a window into the concepts of health, healing, and disease in early twentieth-century sapmi (northern sweden). the two books of johan turi (1854-1936)--an account of the sami (1910) and lappish texts (1918-19) were examined to determine the varieties of recorded zootherapeutic, mineral, chemical, and ethnobotanical lore, as well as the therapeutic acts, identified conditions, and veterinary knowledge included.	2013	23941666
persistent organic pollutants in meat, liver, tallow and bone marrow from semi-domesticated reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus l.) in northern norway.	the aim of this project was to study 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), 5 dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethans (ddts), 12 organochlorine pesticides (ocps) and 6 polybrominated diphenylethers (pbdes) in meat, liver, tallow and bone marrow from semi-domesticated reindeer.	2013	23938064
why herd size matters - mitigating the effects of livestock crashes.	analysing the effect of pastoral risk management strategies provides insights into a system of subsistence that have persevered in marginal areas for hundreds to thousands of years and may shed light into the future of around 200 million households in the face of climate change. this study investigated the efficiency of herd accumulation as a buffer strategy by analysing changes in livestock holdings during an environmental crisis in the saami reindeer husbandry in norway. we found a positive re ...	2013	23936386
identification and characterization of two novel viruses in ocular infections in reindeer.	a thorough understanding of virus diversity in wildlife provides epidemiological baseline information about pathogens. in this study, eye swab samples were obtained from semi-domesticated reindeer (rangifertarandus tarandus) in norway during an outbreak of infectious eye disease, possibly a very early stage of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (ikc). large scale molecular virus screening, based on host nucleic acid depletion, sequence-independent amplification and next-generation sequencing of par ...	2013	23874987
phylogenetic position of linguatula arctica and linguatula serrata (pentastomida) as inferred from the nuclear 18s rrna gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i gene.	genomic dna was isolated from a linguatula serrata female expelled from a dog imported to norway from romania and from four linguatula arctica females collected from semi-domesticated reindeer from northern norway and subjected to pcr amplification of the complete nuclear 18s rrna gene and a 1,045-bp portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i gene (cox1). the two species differed at two of 1,830 nucleotide positions (99.9% identity) of the complete 18s rrna gene sequences and at ...	2013	23873617
economic and ecological outcomes of flexible biodiversity offset systems.	the commonly expressed goal of biodiversity offsets is to achieve no net loss of specific biological features affected by development. however, strict equivalency requirements may complicate trading of offset credits, increase costs due to restricted offset placement options, and force offset activities to focus on features that may not represent regional conservation priorities. using the oil sands industry of alberta, canada, as a case study, we evaluated the economic and ecological performanc ...	2013	23869724
lichen conservation in heavily managed boreal forests.	lichens are an important component of the boreal forest, where they are long lived, tend to accumulate in older stands, and are a major food source for the threatened woodland caribou (rangifer tarandus caribou). to be fully sustainable, silvicultural practices in the boreal forest must include the conservation of ecological integrity. dominant forest management practices, however, have short-term negative effects on lichen diversity, particularly the application of herbicides. to better underst ...	2013	23869621
spatio-temporal dynamics in the response of woodland caribou and moose to the passage of grey wolf.	predators impact prey populations not only by consuming individuals, but also by altering their behaviours. these nonlethal effects can influence food web properties as much as lethal effects. the mechanisms of nonlethal effects include chronic and temporary anti-predator behaviours, the nature of which depends on the spatial dynamics of predators and the range over which prey perceive risk. the relation between chronic and ephemeral responses to risk determines predator-prey interactions, with ...	2014	23859231
experiences of being a young male sami reindeer herder: a qualitative study in perspective of mental health.	to explore experiences of what it is to be a young male sami reindeer herder in sweden, a group with previously known stigma and specific health issues, and to understand experiences in perspective of mental health.	2013	23853764
sense of coherence of reindeer herders and other samis in comparison to other swedish citizens.	samis are indigenous people in north europe. in the territory called sápmi (lapland), reindeer herding is the traditional base for the sami economy. the relation between living conditions and positive health of the swedish samis has been sparsely studied. as health is closely linked to sense of coherence (soc), an understanding of the background factors to soc may contribute knowledge that might be useful in promoting living conditions and health.	2013	23853763
brucellosis in terrestrial wildlife.	the epidemiological link between brucellosis in wildlife and brucellosis in livestock and people is widely recognised. when studying brucellosis in wildlife, three questions arise: (i) is this the result of a spillover from livestock or a sustainable infection in one or more host species of wildlife? (ii) does wildlife brucellosis represent a reservoir of brucella strains for livestock? (iii) is it of zoonotic concern? despite their different host preferences, b. abortus and b. suis have been is ...	2013	23837363
complex biotic interactions drive long-term vegetation dynamics in a subarctic ecosystem.	predicting impacts of global warming requires understanding of the extent to which plant biomass and production are controlled by bottom-up and top-down drivers. by annually monitoring community composition in grazed control plots and herbivore-free exclosures at an arctic location for 15 years, we detected multiple biotic interactions. regular rodent cycles acted as pulses driving synchronous fluctuations in the biomass of field-layer vegetation; reindeer influenced the biomass of taller shrubs ...	2013	23836791
capital and income breeding traits differentiate trophic match-mismatch dynamics in large herbivores.	for some species, climate change has altered environmental conditions away from those in which life-history strategies evolved. in such cases, if adaptation does not keep pace with these changes, existing life-history strategies may become maladaptive and lead to population declines. we use life-history theory, with a specific emphasis on breeding strategies, in the context of the trophic match-mismatch framework to form generalizable hypotheses about population-level consumer responses to clima ...	2013	23836789
invasion, establishment, and range expansion of two parasitic nematodes in the canadian arctic.	climate warming is occurring at an unprecedented rate in the arctic and is having profound effects on host-parasite interactions, including range expansion. recently, two species of protostrongylid nematodes have emerged for the first time in muskoxen and caribou on victoria island in the western canadian arctic archipelago. umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis, the muskox lungworm, was detected for the first time in 2008 in muskoxen at a community hunt on the southwest corner of the island and by ...	2013	23828740
first serosurvey of besnoitia spp. infection in wild european ruminants in spain.	besnoitia besnoiti has been reported to affect cattle, wildebeest, kudu and impala, and b. tarandi other wild ruminants (caribou, reindeer, mule deer and musk ox), causing similar characteristic clinical signs and lesions. however, both besnoitia species have been reported in different geographical areas and the link between the sylvatic and domestic life cycles of besnoita spp. in wild ruminants and cattle remains unknown. the aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of specific antibodie ...	2013	23790546
the bow and arrow in northern north america.	there were at least four waves of bow and arrow use in northern north america. these occurred at 12000, 4500, 2400, and after about 1300 years ago. but to understand the role of the bow and arrow in the north, one must begin in the eighteenth century, when the russians first arrived in the aleutian islands. at that time, the aleut were using both the atlatl and dart and the bow and arrow (fig. ). this is significant for two particular and important reasons. first, there are few historic cases in ...	2015	23776050
bone mineral density and geometry parameters determined in vitro from dual-energy digital radiography images in the assessment of bone maximal load of reindeer femora.	dual-energy digital radiography (dedr) has been shown to be a potential method to determine bone mineral density (bmd) and predict maximal load with similar accuracy as standard bone densitometry using dxa (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry). in addition to bone density, bone geometry has also been shown to have effect on bone fragility and fracture risk.	2013	23761551
eating habits of a population undergoing a rapid dietary transition: portion sizes of traditional and non-traditional foods and beverages consumed by inuit adults in nunavut, canada.	to determine the portion sizes of traditional and non-traditional foods being consumed by inuit adults in three remote communities in nunavut, canada.	2013	23724920
rates of disturbance vary by data resolution: implications for conservation schedules using the alberta boreal forest as a case study.	investigations of biophysical changes on earth caused by anthropogenic disturbance provide governments with tools to generate sustainable development policy. canada currently experiences one of the fastest rates of boreal forest disturbance in the world. plans to conserve the 330 000 km(2) boreal forest in the province of alberta exist but conservation targets and schedules must be aligned with rates of forest disturbance. we explore how disturbance rate, and the accuracy with which we detect it ...	2013	23703708
multi-trophic resource selection function enlightens the behavioural game between wolves and their prey.	1. habitat selection strategies translate into movement tactics, which reckon with the predator-prey spatial game. strategic habitat selection analysis can therefore illuminate behavioural games. cover types at potential encounter sites (i.e. intersections between movement paths of predator and prey) can be compared with cover types available (i) within the area of home-range-overlap (hro) between predator and prey; and (ii) along the path (mp) of each species. unlike the hro scale, cover-type a ...	2013	23701257
reindeer warble fly-associated human myiasis, scandinavia.		2013	23697827
movement responses of caribou to human-induced habitat edges lead to their aggregation near anthropogenic features.	the assessment of disturbance effects on wildlife and resulting mitigation efforts are founded on edge-effect theory. according to the classical view, the abundance of animals affected by human disturbance should increase monotonically with distance from disturbed areas to reach a maximum at remote locations. here we show that distance-dependent movement taxis can skew abundance distributions toward disturbed areas. we develop an advection-diffusion model based on basic movement behavior commonl ...	2013	23669544
predicting shifts in parasite distribution with climate change: a multitrophic level approach.	climate change likely will lead to increasingly favourable environmental conditions for many parasites. however, predictions regarding parasitism's impacts often fail to account for the likely variability in host distribution and how this may alter parasite occurrence. here, we investigate potential distributional shifts in the meningeal worm, parelaphostrongylosis tenuis, a protostrongylid nematode commonly found in white-tailed deer in north america, whose life cycle also involves a free-livin ...	2013	23666800
a protein a/g indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of anti-brucella antibodies in arctic wildlife.	a species-independent indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ielisa) based on chimeric protein a/g was established for the detection of anti-brucella antibodies in arctic wildlife species and compared to previously established brucellosis serological tests for hooded seals (cystophora cristata), minke whales (balaenoptera acutorostrata), sei whales (balaenoptera borealis), fin whales (balaenoptera physalus), and polar bears (ursus maritimus), as well as bacteriology results for reindeer and ...	2013	23572454
gammaherpesvirus infection in semidomesticated reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus): a cross-sectional, serologic study in northern norway.	malignant catarrhal fever (mcf) is caused by a group of gammaherpesviruses that primarily affect domestic and wild ruminants. using competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we screened 3,339 apparently healthy, semidomesticated reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) from finnmark county, norway, sampled during slaughter. the overall antibody prevalence was 3.5% and varied among reindeer herding districts in finnmark (0-6.7%), the largest reindeer herding region in norway. the ris ...	2013	23568901
biochemical and hematologic reference values for free-ranging, chemically immobilized wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) during early winter.	hematologic and serum biochemistry values were evaluated in free-ranging, wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) as part of a reintroduction program in southwestern norway in november 1995 and 1996. animals were immobilized with medetomidine-ketamine by dart from a helicopter. blood was drawn for serum chemistry from 31 adults (nine males and 22 females) and for hematology from 29 adults (eight males and 21 females). significant differences (p<0.05) were found between male and fema ...	2013	23568897
phylogenetic relationships among sarcocystis species in cervids, cattle and sheep inferred from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i gene.	coccidian parasites in the genus sarcocystis have a two-host life cycle, and have traditionally been identified on the basis of morphological features of the sarcocyst stage in their intermediate hosts. additional molecular species identification, delimitation and phylogeny of sarcocystis spp. have been based mainly on the nuclear ssrrna gene. this gene is well suited for discrimination between more distant species but less so for closely related species. the objective of this study was therefor ...	2013	23542092
antlers on the arctic refuge: capturing multi-generational patterns of calving ground use from bones on the landscape.	bone accumulations faithfully record historical ecological data on animal communities, and owing to millennial-scale bone survival on high-latitude landscapes, have exceptional potential for extending records on arctic ecosystems. for the porcupine caribou herd, maintaining access to calving grounds on the arctic national wildlife refuge (anwr, alaska) is a central management concern. however, variability in calving ground geography over the 30+ years of monitoring suggests establishing the impa ...	2013	23536601
fibromatous lesions of antler velvet and haired skin in reindeer (rangifer tarandus).		2013	23492928
population densities, vegetation green-up, and plant productivity: impacts on reproductive success and juvenile body mass in reindeer.	global warming is expected to cause earlier springs and increased primary productivity in the arctic. these changes may improve food availability for arctic herbivores, but may also have negative effects by generating a mismatch between the surge of high quality food in the spring and the timing of reproduction. we analyzed a 10 year dataset of satellite derived measures of vegetation green-up, population densities, calf body masses and female reproductive success in 19 reindeer (rangifer tarand ...	2013	23451049
suicidal expressions in young swedish sami, a cross-sectional study.	to investigate the experience of suicidal expressions (death wishes, life weariness, ideation, plans and attempts) in young swedish sami, their attitudes toward suicide (atts), and experience of suicidal expressions and completed suicide in significant others and to compare with swedes in general.	2013	23346555
variables associated with besnoitia tarandi prevalence and cyst density in barren-ground caribou (rangifer tarandus) populations.	besnoitia tarandi has been documented in free-ranging reindeer and caribou (rangifer tarandus spp.) since 1922 throughout their arctic and subarctic ranges; however, very little is known about its epidemiology. we evaluated variables associated with b. tarandi prevalence and cyst density with the use of barren-ground caribou (rangifer tarandus) from two migratory herds in northern quebec: the rivière-aux-feuilles and the rivière-george herds. diagnosis of infection was made upon the microscopic ...	2013	23307369