Bighorn sheep show similar in-host responses to the same pathogen strain in two contrasting environments.

Ecological context-the biotic and abiotic environment, along with its influence on population mixing dynamics and individual susceptibility-is thought to have major bearing on epidemic outcomes. However, direct comparisons of wildlife disease events in contrasting ecological contexts are often confounded by concurrent differences in host genetics, exposure histories, or pathogen strains. Here, we compare disease dynamics of a Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae spillover event that affected bighorn sheep populations in two contrasting ecological contexts. One event occurred on the herd's home range near the Rio Grande Gorge in New Mexico, while the other occurred in a captive facility at Hardware Ranch in Utah. While data collection regimens varied, general patterns of antibody signal strength and symptom emergence were conserved between the two sites. Symptoms appeared in the captive setting an average of 12.9 days postexposure, average time to seroconversion was 24.9 days, and clinical signs peaked at approximately 36 days postinfection. These patterns were consistent with serological testing and subsequent declines in symptom intensity in the free-ranging herd. At the captive site, older animals exhibited more severe declines in body condition and loin thickness, higher symptom burdens, and slower antibody response to the pathogen than younger animals. Younger animals were more likely than older animals to clear infection by the time of sampling at both sites. The patterns presented here suggest that environment may not be a major determinant of epidemiological outcomes in the bighorn sheep-M. ovipneumoniae system, elevating the possibility that host- or pathogen-factors may be responsible for observed variation.

Accurate population estimation of Caprinae using camera traps and distance sampling.

With most of the world's Caprinae taxa threatened with extinction, the IUCN appeals to the development of simple and affordable sampling methods that will produce credible abundance and distribution data for helping conserve these species inhabiting remote areas. Traditional sampling approaches, like aerial sampling or mark-capture-recapture, can generate bias by failing to meet sampling assumptions, or by incurring too much cost and logistical burden for most projects to address them. Therefore, we met the IUCN's challenge by testing a sampling technique that leverages imagery from camera traps with conventional distance sampling, validating its operability in mountainous topography by comparing results to known abundances. Our project occurred within a captive facility housing a wild population of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico, which is censused yearly. True abundance was always within our 90% confidence bounds, and the mean abundance estimates were within 4.9 individuals (average) of the census values. By demonstrating the veracity of this straightforward and inexpensive sampling method, we provide confidence in its operability, urging its use to fill conservation voids for Caprinae and other data-deficient species inhabiting rugged or heavily vegetated terrain.

Mountain goat survival and mortality during a period of increased puma abundance in the Black Hills, South Dakota.

We investigated survival and cause-specific mortality for a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) population during a period when the puma (Puma concolor) population was growing in the Black Hills, South Dakota, 2006-2018. We obtained survival data from 47 adult goats (n = 33 females, n = 14 males). Annual survival varied from 0.538 (95% CI [0.285-0.773]) to 1.00 (95% CI [1.00-1.00]) and puma predation was the primary cause-specific mortality factor over a 12-year period. Cumulative hectares of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) disturbance was a covariate of importance (w i  = 0.972; ß = 0.580, 95% CI [0.302-0.859]) influencing survival. To our knowledge, this is the first account of puma being the primary mortality factor of mountain goats over a long-term study. The Black Hills system is unique because we could examine the expanded realized niche of puma in the absence of other large carnivores and their influence on mountain goats. We hypothesize that puma were being sustained at higher densities due to alternate prey sources (e.g., white-tailed deer; Odocoileous virginianus) and this small population of mountain goats was susceptible to predation by one or several specialized puma in the Black Hills. However, we also hypothesize a changing landscape with increased tree mortality due to insect infestation provided conditions for better predator detection by goats and increased survival. Alternatively, open canopy conditions may have increased understory forage production potentially increasing mountain goat survival but we did not evaluate this relationship. Survival and mortality rates of mountain goats should continue to be monitored as this small population may be highly susceptible to population declines due to slow growth rates.