Bioavailability of Minerals and Their Effects on Bighorn Sheep Lamb Survival
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research and by funding from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Presentation Date
7-2019
Abstract
Bighorn sheep in Idaho are currently listed as imperiled and vulnerable to extinction. Understanding factors that limit the growth of bighorn sheep populations is critical for conservation and management. The overall goal of this project is to expand on the research being conducted by Nicole Bilodeau, a University of Idaho graduate student, to include bioavailability of minerals in her evaluation of the influence of nutrition on bighorn sheep population dynamics. During the summer of 2018, Nicole and her team collected plant samples and other habitat quality data in targeted bighorn sheep population management units (PMU). Nicole in now processing those samples to determine availability of proteins, and energy in sheep forages, and to quantify and compare nutritional quality across bighorn sheep PMUs. To expound on her research, I analyzed the collected plant samples to determine the bioavailability of minerals through nitric acid digestion and analysis via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These results will be used to determine if areas that experienced higher lamb mortality may have been deficient in a mineral source that is vital for development. This combination of analyses will help paint a more complete picture of potential nutritional limitation of bighorn sheep populations in Idaho.
Bioavailability of Minerals and Their Effects on Bighorn Sheep Lamb Survival
Bighorn sheep in Idaho are currently listed as imperiled and vulnerable to extinction. Understanding factors that limit the growth of bighorn sheep populations is critical for conservation and management. The overall goal of this project is to expand on the research being conducted by Nicole Bilodeau, a University of Idaho graduate student, to include bioavailability of minerals in her evaluation of the influence of nutrition on bighorn sheep population dynamics. During the summer of 2018, Nicole and her team collected plant samples and other habitat quality data in targeted bighorn sheep population management units (PMU). Nicole in now processing those samples to determine availability of proteins, and energy in sheep forages, and to quantify and compare nutritional quality across bighorn sheep PMUs. To expound on her research, I analyzed the collected plant samples to determine the bioavailability of minerals through nitric acid digestion and analysis via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These results will be used to determine if areas that experienced higher lamb mortality may have been deficient in a mineral source that is vital for development. This combination of analyses will help paint a more complete picture of potential nutritional limitation of bighorn sheep populations in Idaho.
Comments
W34