Investigating the impact of helminths on mercury in Arctic foxes
| dc.contributor.author | Whiteside, Kayla | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Detwiler, Jillian (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Davoren, Gail (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Roth, Jim | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-20T19:47:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-20T19:47:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-04 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-05-20T19:47:13Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | |
| dc.degree.level | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Mercury (Hg) pollution in the Arctic poses a growing threat to the health of local wildlife, yet many factors behind Hg bioaccumulation remain poorly understood. Primarily ingested through diet, Hg bioaccumulates in animal tissues and can impair neurological and reproductive functions. Intestinal helminths have demonstrated the ability to take up Hg while residing in their hosts and have consequently been suggested to benefit their hosts through mitigating toxin exposure. In this study, I used Arctic foxes harvested over five years from Churchill, MB to analyze fox muscle total mercury concentrations ([THg]) (ng/g), intestinal helminth [THg], and helminth biomasses to determine if (i) helminth group (taxa and size) influences helminth Hg uptake, and (ii) helminths benefit their host by decreasing host Hg uptake. Results showed that [THg] did not significantly vary with fox sex, age, or harvest year. Cestodes demonstrated higher [THg] than nematodes, though size did not influence [THg] for either taxon. Both cestodes and nematodes demonstrated [THg] increases relative to host [THg], though only the cestodes had significantly higher [THg] than their hosts, and no significant effect was seen for either cestode or nematode biomass on fox [THg]. Overall, this study provides valuable insight into host-helminth-Hg dynamics. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and significance of helminth Hg uptake to help understand their potential applications in mitigating toxin exposure in wildlife. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Manitoba Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, University of Manitoba Fieldwork Support Program, Churchill Northern Studies Centre Northern Research Fund | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/39086 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | arctic fox | |
| dc.subject | helminths | |
| dc.subject | mercury | |
| dc.subject | bioaccumulation | |
| dc.subject | Vulpes lagopus | |
| dc.title | Investigating the impact of helminths on mercury in Arctic foxes | |
| local.author.affiliation | Faculty of Science::Department of Biological Sciences | |
| oaire.awardTitle | Undergraduate Research Award | |
| project.funder.identifier | https://doi.org/10.13039/100010318 | |
| project.funder.name | University of Manitoba |