Evaluating the use of hair as a non-invasive indicator of trace mineral status in woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 28;17(6):e0269441. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269441. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Trace mineral imbalances can have significant effects on animal health, reproductive success, and survival. Monitoring their status in wildlife populations is, therefore, important for management and conservation. Typically, livers and kidneys are sampled to measure mineral status, but biopsies and lethal-sampling are not always possible, particularly for Species at Risk. We aimed to: 1) determine baseline mineral levels in Northern Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; Gmelin, 1788) in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, and 2) determine if hair can be used as an effective indicator of caribou mineral status by evaluating associations between hair and organ mineral concentrations. Hair, liver, and kidney samples from adult male caribou (nHair = 31; nLiver, nKidney = 43) were collected by guide-outfitters in 2016-2018 hunting seasons. Trace minerals and heavy metals were quantified using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and organ and hair concentrations of same individuals were compared. Some organ mineral concentrations differed from other caribou populations, though no clinical deficiency or toxicity symptoms were reported in our population. Significant correlations were found between liver and hair selenium (rho = 0.66, p<0.05), kidney and hair cobalt (rho = 0.51, p<0.05), and liver and hair molybdenum (rho = 0.37, p<0.10). These findings suggest that hair trace mineral assessment may be used as a non-invasive and easily-accessible way to monitor caribou selenium, cobalt, and molybdenum status, and may be a valuable tool to help assess overall caribou health.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • British Columbia
  • Cobalt
  • Forests
  • Hair
  • Male
  • Molybdenum
  • Reindeer*
  • Selenium*
  • Trace Elements*

Substances

  • Trace Elements
  • Cobalt
  • Molybdenum
  • Selenium

Grants and funding

This work included in this submission was funded, in part, by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund (Enhancement Grant #0-543; SK);the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Sarah Baker Memorial Grant 2017; NJ); the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC CGS-Master's; NJ); the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research; NJ); the Shikar Foundation (Safari Club International, Large Grants; SK); and the Bulkley Valley Research Centre (NJ). These funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding support was also provided in part by the Mitacs Accelerate program (Internship #IT11705; NJ), which shared costs with the Tahltan Guide and Outfitters Association (TGOA; Dease Lake, British Columbia, Canada). The TGOA helped the primary author to facilitate collection (through the Association's guide and outfitter membership) of harvest-based samples used by this study.