Assessing Pregnancy Rates and Stress Levels of Free-ranging Migratory Barren-ground Caribou in Northern Alaska
Project ID: P12AC15054
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Washington
Fiscal Year: 2012
Initial Funding: $22,932
Total Funding: $31,097
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Alaska Region
Principal Investigator: Wasser, Sam
Agreement Technical Representative: Dalle-Molle, Lois
Abstract: Many caribou herds across the Arctic are currently in decline. This is a collaborative project between the National Park Service (NPS) and the University of Washington (UW) to assess the physiological status of the Western Arctic Herd, the country’s largest herd. Dietary information will be compared to analyses looking into the pregnancy status of sampled females and the stress levels of caribou across their vast range. From these analyses, we will be able to discern if pregnancy rates are linked to dietary intake. While much of the vast range of the herd is undeveloped currently, extensive plans for industrial roads, mining operations, oil and gas explorations, coal field development, and many other potential impactful ideas are rapidly moving forward. These results will likely provide a useful baseline of information to gauge potential impacts of the likely development of this herd’s range. The NPS will collect fecal samples from caribou from throughout northwest and northern Alaska during the spring of 2012 and will ship these samples to the UW. The UW will undertake genetic analyses to determine unique individual, sex and pregnancy status of females. Further analyses will assess stress levels by looking at cortisol or thyroid hormone levels. NPS will collaborate with UW to develop a scientific or technical report summarizing the methods and results of this project. NPS will be substantially involved in all aspects of the project, including study design, data collection, data analysis, and writing of reports. This project will benefit the public by providing critical data needed to manage wildlife species for consumptive and non-consumptive uses. Results from this study will be made available to the public in presentations, publications, and on the park website.
Deliverables: