UCVMRESEARCH
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University of Calgary · Veterinary Medicine

This week in research.

27 Jul – 03 August 2026 From the archive

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03UCVM authors
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Parasites and forage as determinants of body condition and population size in an imperiled ungulate — Ecological Modelling, 2026-07-28. Cohort author: Mathieu Pruvot. - Parasites and flying insects can substantially shape caribou body condition and population dynamics by reducing foraging efficiency and increasing energetic costs. - In the absence of parasites, caribou numbers approach a stable carrying capacity, whereas parasite pressure shifts dynamics by lowering foraging rates and increasing energy expenditure. - The work offers a mechanistic framework linking energetics, forage quality, parasites, and disease to population trajectories under rapid environmental change. Interaction risk between invasive wild pigs and livestock: Implications for potential infectious disease transmission in Alberta, Canada — Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2026-07-28. Cohort authors: Rob Deardon; Mathieu Pruvot. - Wild pigs are increasingly proximal to livestock farms; pig reports are, on average, 2.9 km from farms with 22% within 500 m, and smallholder operations show the strongest spatial associations. - A resource selection function identifies habitat where wild pig-livestock interactions are most likely, with predicted risk tied to landscapes of fragmentation and composition (37% grassland, 35% broadleaf forest, 18% wetlands). - Producer surveys (n=231) indicate wild pig presence at 4% of farms, and risk projections suggest substantial potential increases for smallholders (70–78%) and commercial farms (51–102%), underscoring gaps between predicted risk and observed interactions. Host genetics and social relationships jointly shape fitness-associated microbiome variation in a population of feral horses — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2026-07-28. Cohort author: Jocelyn Poissant. - Social transmission and host genetics jointly shape fitness-associated microbiome variation in feral Sable Island horses, with social effects 2–4 times stronger than additive genetic effects on average. - Additive genetic, permanent environment, and social effects collectively explain about 47% of variance in fitness-associated microbiome dimensions and 38% in microbial gene-family profiles. - No evidence for maternal effects; findings provide the first clear evidence that fitness-associated microbiome traits are heritable and could respond to selection, highlighting non-genetic (social) pathways of microbiome-mediated adaptive evolution. By the numbers: - Ecological Modelling: 1 - Preventive Veterinary Medicine: 1 - bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory): 1 Total works: 3

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Publications this week

3
Ecological Modelling

Parasites and forage as determinants of body condition and population size in an imperiled ungulate · doi/link

UCVM authors Mathieu Pruvot

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Rapid environmental changes are resulting in widespread changes in population size, health, and physiology of wildlife, especially at northern latitudes where the impacts of climate change are more pronounced. Barren-ground caribou ( Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus ) have declined across much of their range in recent decades, and while the ultimate causes are unknown, western science and local Indigenous Knowledge both point to changes in body condition and diseases as contributing factors. We used a bioenergetic integral projection model that mechanistically links caribou population dynamics to forage quality, parasitic nematodes, and flying parasitic and biting insects through their effects on body condition. We investigated (i) the effects of parasites on caribou populations and available forage biomass, (ii) the sensitivity of model dynamics to changes in key demographic and physiological parameters, and (iii) modeled how changes in insect harassment, nematode abundance, and forage quality are likely to impact caribou populations. We found that parasites and insects can have substantial impacts on nutritional condition and population dynamics of caribou, and that these impacts can cascade through the ecosystem. In the absence of parasites, caribou numbers were limited by forage resulting in population sizes reaching a stable carrying capacity. Reductions in foraging rate and increased energetic costs associated with parasites lowered caribou population size and increased biomass of available forage. Our study provides a critical contribution toward better understanding of the cumulative effects of multiple stressors on wild populations and outlines a framework for mechanistically evaluating the impacts of energetics, parasites, and disease on wildlife.
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Preventive Veterinary Medicine

Interaction risk between invasive wild pigs and livestock: Implications for potential infectious disease transmission in Alberta, Canada · doi/link

UCVM authors Rob Deardon, Mathieu Pruvot

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Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are free-ranging domestic-wild boar hybrids expanding across Canada. Their proximity to livestock farms increases wild pig-livestock interaction (WPLI) and disease transmission potential. This study quantified proximity and spatial associations between wild pig reports and livestock farms, estimated current and potential WPLI risk areas, and surveyed producers to monitor wild pig presence. We used a generalized linear model with gamma distribution to compare wild pig report locations to random locations across six livestock farm types. WPLI risk areas were estimated by overlapping relative densities of reports and farms. We developed a resource selection function to predict potential WPLI risk assuming wild pigs occupy all suitable habitat. Finally, 231 livestock producers were surveyed to document wild pig presence and interactions. Wild pig reports occurred significantly closer to livestock farms than expected by chance (2.90 km average difference), with 22% within 500 m of farms. Smallholder pig and wild boar farms showed the strongest spatial associations, while commercial operations showed minimal overlap with current wild pig distributions. We developed a resource selection function (RSF) to predict potential WPLI risk assuming wild pigs occupy all suitable habitat. RSF identified optimal wild pig habitat as fragmented agricultural landscapes with 37% grassland, 35% broadleaf forest, and 18% wetlands. Suitable habitat distribution indicates potential substantial WPLI increases for smallholder operations (70-78%) and commercial farms (51-102%). Producer surveys confirmed wild pig presence at 4% of farms, with limited correspondence between predicted risk areas and reported interactions, highlighting the importance of complementary information sources. WPLI risk is spatially heterogeneous and concentrated around specific farm types, guiding targeted monitoring, surveillance, and biosecurity interventions.
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bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Host genetics and social relationships jointly shape fitness-associated microbiome variation in a population of feral horses · doi/link

UCVM authors Jocelyn Poissant

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Abstract Gut microbiome variation is consequential for host fitness, but its contribution to adaptive evolution in host populations remains unclear. Although gut microbiome heritability has been demonstrated in humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife, no study has simultaneously assessed heritability of, and natural selection on, microbiome traits. Moreover, prior studies have not investigated whether non-genetic inheritance mechanisms (e.g., maternal and social transmission) could also contribute to microbiome-mediated adaptation. Using quantitative genetic animal models and shotgun metagenomic data from the long-term, individual-based study of feral Sable Island horses (2394 samples, 794 known-fate individuals), we estimated additive genetic, maternal, and social contributions to fitness-associated dimensions of the microbiome identified using canonical analyses of principal coordinates. Combined, additive genetic, permanent environment, and social effects explained 47% and 38% of the variance in fitness-associated dimensions of microbiota or microbial gene family profiles, respectively, with social effects being 2−4 times stronger than additive genetic effects on average. Contrary to our predictions, we observed no evidence for maternal effects. We provide the first evidence that fitness-associated microbiome traits are heritable, and so, theoretically capable of evolution in response to selection. Strong social effects further indicate the possible concurrent importance of non-genetic inheritance to microbiome-mediated adaptive evolution.
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