LE3 .A278 2023

2023

Shutler, Dave

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

A stressor is something that disrupts an organism’s steady internal state. Parasitism is one type of stressor, and it can cause mild to serious disease in hosts such as neurological effects including circling, starvation, and blindness. Viruses and nematodes are stressors that can compromise a host’s immune system. Heavy metals are another type of stressor that can bioaccumulate and be found in high concentrations in organs and tissues of hosts. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are abundant throughout North America and can be affected by these stressors. In this study, I quantified prevalence and intensity of COVID-19, P. tenuis, and mercury concentrations in Nova Scotian deer from 79 hunter-donated heads. White-tailed deer are natural hosts of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, a nematode found in the meninges, the thin membranes between the brain and skull. There were no significant relationships between P. tenuis and mercury, and all COVID-19 tests were negative. Results showed that females were 67% more likely to have a P. tenuis infection than males. Cause of death (classified as either hunted or roadkill), age, and location had no significant interactions among variables (P > 0.05) although sample sizes were small for these tests. Parasites can affect all organisms, and investigating their interactions with other stressors among hosts are important to understand because synergistic interactions among stressors could cause unknow effects to a species performance and abundance.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3985