You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below:  

   

Date: August 7, 2025

Time: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PT)  

 

Defence mode: Remote 

Virtual Attendance: via Zoom 

 

LINK TO JOIN: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences. 

 

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: please ensure you are on time.  

 

Thesis entitled: EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIATION ON MOOSE MINERAL LEVELS AND IMMUNE RESPONSES IN CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA

Abstract: Environmental change can negatively affect the health and fitness of individual wildlife, leading to negative consequences on populations. Understanding the mechanisms that link environmental change with wildlife health and fitness is therefore crucial for developing effective conservation and management strategies. Mineral status and immune function are key components of animal health that are sensitive to changes in habitat, climate, and disturbance regimes, and may therefore serve as useful biomarkers of the effects of environmental change on health and population resilience in wildlife.

 

Moose (Alces alces) are one species whose health may be affected by environmental change. Over the past two decades, moose populations in central British Columbia (BC) have declined dramatically following a severe mountain pine beetle epidemic and subsequent timber salvage logging, which resulted in a heavily altered landscape. In response to these declines, the Province of BC initiated a long-term research project on moose. This research documented cases of starvation and health-related mortalities, along with suboptimal pregnancy rates, which suggests that bottom-up factors may have contributed to the observed declines. My thesis draws on and supplements data collected as part of the BC Provincial Moose Research Project to better understand the effects of bottom-up factors on moose health. Specifically, I examine the effects of environmental and physiological conditions on essential mineral concentrations and immune responses in moose to better understand links between environmental change and moose health.

 

First, I examined whether hair mineral concentrations in adult female moose were associated with environmental factors in their summer–autumn habitat. I used hair samples collected during winter captures to quantify the concentrations of 15 macro and trace minerals. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models, I tested whether variation in mineral concentrations reflected differences in habitat composition, landscape disturbance, and climatic conditions. I found that precipitation was an important predictor of selenium and zinc concentrations, suggesting that mineral uptake is influenced by weather-driven effects on vegetation. Moose spending more time in deciduous forests had greater concentrations of potassium and magnesium, likely reflecting the nutritional benefits of these forest stands. Furthermore, moose with access to recent wildfire burns had greater zinc levels, suggesting that fire enhances forage quality or availability. These findings highlight the importance of deciduous forest and potential effects of climate change on moose nutritional health.

 

Second, I measured concentrations of multiple immune biomarkers in the serum of female moose and investigated how these markers related to physiological condition and parasite exposure. Moose with greater fat reserves had higher concentrations of interleukin-12, suggesting that individuals in better condition may be able to allocate more resources toward immune function. Total globulin concentrations were elevated in moose exposed to both micro- and macro-parasites, reflecting immune activation due to parasitic challenges. I also found positive correlations between zinc levels and both IL-12 and total globulin, whereas copper concentrations were associated with haptoglobin, underscoring the importance of trace minerals in regulating immune responses. Combined, my results highlight links between nutrition, immune function, and parasite exposure in moose.

 

Collectively, my findings offer novel insights into the mechanisms by which moose respond to environmental change. Moreover, my findings provide baseline data on a range of health biomarkers in moose and highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring to assess the effects of environmental change on wildlife health.

   

Defence Committee:  

Chair: Dr. Caroline Sanders   

Supervisor: Dr. Heather Bryan     

Committee Member: Dr. Roy Rea

Committee Member: Dr.  Owen Slater

Committee Member: Dr.  Caeley Thacker
External Examiner: Dr. Doug Heard