Bighorn Sheep in and near Glacier National Park Active
USGS collected GPS data as well as genetic and other samples on over 100 bighorn sheep east of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Waterton National Park, and the Blackfeet Reservation. Bighorn sheep across the west are vulnerable to disease such as pneumonia. We are therefore working to improve our understanding of bighorn sheep movements, approaches for monitoring bighorns, and habitat use in Glacier National Park.
Movements relative to salt licks
Salt licks provide important nutrients for the development of strong bones and horns, are important to overall sheep health, and by strengthening immune systems, may buffer sheep from disease. Because natural salt licks are relatively uncommon, they may represent a limiting resource in this system. We will use GPS collar data from ~95 bighorn sheep to summarize sheep movements towards known salt licks and compare how these movements compare with other sheep movements. We will also summarize the timing and frequency of bighorn use of known salt licks. This work will help us determine whether we can monitor bighorn sheep in this area solely by monitoring known salt licks.
Monitoring
In 2014, we also deployed 2 different kinds of remote cameras to evaluate ways to monitor sheep at one salt lick in Glacier National Park. We are partnering with a program that trains autistic students to transform the remote camera photos into data.
Habitat use
We will use GPS data to create a map of habitat use for bighorn sheep. This will provide a layer that Glacier Park, Waterton Park, and the Blackfeet Reservation can use for sheep management decisions.
Population Structure
In late 2014 the Glacier National Park Conservancy provided funding to genotype blood samples of 100 captured bighorn sheep at 18 loci. We will evaluate the structure of the population based on these data, along with sheep movements and disease prevalence and presence to assess implications relative to disease, climate change, and other threats.
Collaborators:
Mark Biel, John Waller, and Tara Carolin (Glacier National Park)
Barb Johnson and Robin Steenweg (Waterton National Park)
Dan Carney (Blackfeet Reservation)
Kim Keating (retired USGS)
Funding
US Geological Survey
Glacier National Park Conservancy
US National Park Service
Thanks to: Kim Keating (previous PI), J. Powers, M. Wild, V. Jameson, S. Ratchford, V. Boccadori, J. Brown, C. Dickenson, P. Lundberg, S. Schmitz, J. Shrum, R. Yates, J. Potter, S. Gniadek, R. Menicke, and S. Lewis for help in data collection and general project support.
Products
Miller, D. S., et al. 2011. Shared bacterial and viral respiratory agents in Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) in Montana. Veterinary Medicine International. 2011: 1-12.
Keating, K. A., and S. Cherry. 2009. Modeling utilization distributions in space and time. Ecology. 90:1971-1980.
Ott, S. J., Dobbin, H. S., Keating, K. A., Weiser, G. C. 2009. Distribution of Pasteurella trehalosi genotypes isolated from Bighorn sheep in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Journal of the Idaho Academy of Science. 45(2):10-20
Luikart, G., S. Zundel, D. Rioux, C. Miquel, K. A. Keating, J. T. Hogg, B. Steele, K. Foresman, and P. Taberlet. 2008. Low genotyping error rates and noninvasive sampling in bighorn sheep. Journal of Wildlife Management 72:299–304.
de la Fuente, J., M. Atkinson, V. Naranjo, I. G. Fernández de Mera, A. J. Mangold, K. A. Keating, K. M. Kocan. 2007. Sequence analysis of the msp4 gene of Anaplasma ovis strains. Veterinary Microbiology 119:375–381.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Average kinship within bighorn sheep populations is associated with connectivity, augmentation, and bottlenecks
Shared bacterial and viral respiratory agents in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), domestic sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) in Montana
Distribution of Pasteurella Trehalosi genotypes isolated from Bighorn Sheep in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Modeling utilization distributions in space and time
Low genotyping error rates and noninvasive sampling in Bighorn Sheep
Sequence analysis of the msp4 gene of Anaplasma ovis strains
- Overview
USGS collected GPS data as well as genetic and other samples on over 100 bighorn sheep east of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Waterton National Park, and the Blackfeet Reservation. Bighorn sheep across the west are vulnerable to disease such as pneumonia. We are therefore working to improve our understanding of bighorn sheep movements, approaches for monitoring bighorns, and habitat use in Glacier National Park.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media DetailsMovements relative to salt licks
Salt licks provide important nutrients for the development of strong bones and horns, are important to overall sheep health, and by strengthening immune systems, may buffer sheep from disease. Because natural salt licks are relatively uncommon, they may represent a limiting resource in this system. We will use GPS collar data from ~95 bighorn sheep to summarize sheep movements towards known salt licks and compare how these movements compare with other sheep movements. We will also summarize the timing and frequency of bighorn use of known salt licks. This work will help us determine whether we can monitor bighorn sheep in this area solely by monitoring known salt licks.
Monitoring
In 2014, we also deployed 2 different kinds of remote cameras to evaluate ways to monitor sheep at one salt lick in Glacier National Park. We are partnering with a program that trains autistic students to transform the remote camera photos into data.
Habitat use
We will use GPS data to create a map of habitat use for bighorn sheep. This will provide a layer that Glacier Park, Waterton Park, and the Blackfeet Reservation can use for sheep management decisions.
Population Structure
In late 2014 the Glacier National Park Conservancy provided funding to genotype blood samples of 100 captured bighorn sheep at 18 loci. We will evaluate the structure of the population based on these data, along with sheep movements and disease prevalence and presence to assess implications relative to disease, climate change, and other threats.
Collaborators:
Mark Biel, John Waller, and Tara Carolin (Glacier National Park)
Barb Johnson and Robin Steenweg (Waterton National Park)
Dan Carney (Blackfeet Reservation)
Kim Keating (retired USGS)Funding
US Geological Survey
Glacier National Park Conservancy
US National Park ServiceThanks to: Kim Keating (previous PI), J. Powers, M. Wild, V. Jameson, S. Ratchford, V. Boccadori, J. Brown, C. Dickenson, P. Lundberg, S. Schmitz, J. Shrum, R. Yates, J. Potter, S. Gniadek, R. Menicke, and S. Lewis for help in data collection and general project support.
Products
Miller, D. S., et al. 2011. Shared bacterial and viral respiratory agents in Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) in Montana. Veterinary Medicine International. 2011: 1-12.
Keating, K. A., and S. Cherry. 2009. Modeling utilization distributions in space and time. Ecology. 90:1971-1980.
Ott, S. J., Dobbin, H. S., Keating, K. A., Weiser, G. C. 2009. Distribution of Pasteurella trehalosi genotypes isolated from Bighorn sheep in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Journal of the Idaho Academy of Science. 45(2):10-20
Luikart, G., S. Zundel, D. Rioux, C. Miquel, K. A. Keating, J. T. Hogg, B. Steele, K. Foresman, and P. Taberlet. 2008. Low genotyping error rates and noninvasive sampling in bighorn sheep. Journal of Wildlife Management 72:299–304.
de la Fuente, J., M. Atkinson, V. Naranjo, I. G. Fernández de Mera, A. J. Mangold, K. A. Keating, K. M. Kocan. 2007. Sequence analysis of the msp4 gene of Anaplasma ovis strains. Veterinary Microbiology 119:375–381.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Average kinship within bighorn sheep populations is associated with connectivity, augmentation, and bottlenecks
Understanding the influence of population attributes on genetic diversity is important to advancement of biological conservation. Because bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations vary in size and management history, the species provides a unique opportunity to observe the response of average pairwise kinship, inversely related to genetic diversity, to a spectrum of natural and management influeAuthorsElizabeth P Flesch, Tabitha Graves, Jennifer Thomson, Kelly M. Proffitt, Robert A. GarrottShared bacterial and viral respiratory agents in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), domestic sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) in Montana
Transmission of infectious agents from livestock reservoirs has been hypothesized to cause respiratory disease outbreaks in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), and land management policies intended to limit this transmission have proven controversial. This cross-sectional study compares the infectious agents present in multiple populations of bighorn sheep near to and distant from their interface witAuthorsDavid S. Miller, Glen C. Weiser, Keith Aune, Brent Roeder, Mark Atkinson, Neil Anderson, Thomas J. Roffe, Kim A. Keating, Phillip L. Chapman, Cleon Kimberling, Jack C. Rhyan, P. Ryan ClarkeDistribution of Pasteurella Trehalosi genotypes isolated from Bighorn Sheep in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
We studied the distribution of Pasteurella trehalosi genotypes isolated from oropharyngeal tissues of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada and Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. A separate radio-telemetry study indicated the bighorn metapopulation consisted of at least three neighborhoods of multiple ewe and ram social groups,AuthorsStephanie J. Ott, Heather S. Dobbin, Kim A. Keating, Glen C. WeisnerModeling utilization distributions in space and time
W. Van Winkle defined the utilization distribution (UD) as a probability density that gives an animal's relative frequency of occurrence in a two-dimensional (x, y) plane. We extend Van Winkle's work by redefining the UD as the relative frequency distribution of an animal's occurrence in all four dimensions of space and time. We then describe a product kernel model estimation method, devising a noAuthorsK.A. Keating, S. CherryLow genotyping error rates and noninvasive sampling in Bighorn Sheep
Noninvasive DNA sampling allows studies of natural populations without disturbing the target animals. Unfortunately, high genotyping error rates often make noninvasive studies difficult. We report low error rates (0.0–7.5%/locus) when genotyping 18 microsatellite loci in only 4 multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplifications using fecal DNA from bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). The average locuAuthorsGordon Luikart, Stephanie Zundel, Delphine Rioux, Christian Miquel, Kim A. Keating, John T. Hogg, Brian Steele, Kerry Foresman, Pierre TaberletSequence analysis of the msp4 gene of Anaplasma ovis strains
Anaplasma ovis (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) is a tick-borne pathogen of sheep, goats and wild ruminants. The genetic diversity of A. ovis strains has not been well characterized due to the lack of sequence information. In this study, we evaluated bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Montana for infection with A. ovis by serology and sequence analysis of theAuthorsJ. de la Fuente, M.W. Atkinson, V. Naranjo, I. G. Fernandez de Mera, A.J. Mangold, K.A. Keating, K. M. Kocan