Publications by authors named "Jesper Bruun Mosbacher"
Rationale: Analysis of stable isotopes in tissue and excreta may provide information about animal diets and their nutritional state. As body condition may have a major influence on reproduction, linking stable isotope values to animal demographic rates may help unravel the drivers behind animal population dynamics.
Methods: We performed sequential analysis of δ N values in guard hair from 21 muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from Zackenberg in high arctic Greenland.
Grazing herbivores may affect soil microbial communities indirectly by impacting soil structure and vegetation composition. In high arctic environments, this impact is poorly elucidated, while having potentially wide-reaching effects on the ecosystem. This study examines how a key arctic herbivore, the muskox Ovibos moschatus, affects the soil microbial community in a high arctic fen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMuskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are an integral component of Arctic biodiversity. Given low genetic diversity, their ability to respond to future and rapid Arctic change is unknown, although paleontological history demonstrates adaptability within limits. We discuss status and limitations of current monitoring, and summarize circumpolar status and recent variations, delineating all 55 endemic or translocated populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are expressed by the ruminal placenta, making their detection in blood an accurate indicator of pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate two commercially available PAG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus). The two tests are based on the same principles; however, one is evaluated photometrically and the other visually.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The nutritional state of northern ungulates, like muskoxen, is influenced by their environment and directly affects reproductive rates, such as pregnancy.
- Through analyzing nitrogen stable isotopes in muskox guard hairs from Greenland over approximately 2.5 years, researchers reconstructed their dietary history, showing seasonal dietary patterns tied to environmental factors like temperature and snow depth.
- The study suggests that winter dietary conditions could serve as indicators for calf production in the spring and highlights the potential for using stable isotope analysis as a monitoring tool for wildlife in remote Arctic regions.