Brandon Bales
Travis Brown
Natalie Sutton
Adam Green
Collin Schaumburg
Brandon Bales |
Travis Brown |
Natalie Sutton |
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Adam Green |
Collin Schaumburg |
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BRANDON
BALES, TRAVIS BROWN, STEVE CLAPP, ADAM GREEN, COLLIN SCHAUMBURG, NATALIE
SUTTON
Department
of Biology Mentor:
Terry
Derting Title of Presentation:
Evaluation of Multiple Bioindicators of Environmental Stress: Developing
Predictions for Wildlife and Human Health Risks ABSTRACT Anthropogenic
disturbances leading to fragmentation of white-footed mouse habitat may
affect the health of animals in disturbed areas. To determine those effects,
if any, we tested the null hypothesis that anthropogenic disturbances
have no effect on immunocompetence, stress level, and masses of gastrointestinal
or reproductive organs. We studied two types of habitat patches; those
disturbed by human activities, specifically agriculture and urbanization,
and those that were undisturbed. Adult male white-footed mice were trapped
live during summer. Blood samples and white blood cell counts (WBC) were
made after capture. To challenge humoral and cell-mediated branches of
the immune system, subjects were injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC)
the morning after capture and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) seven days later.
Final blood sampling and dissection were performed on the eighth day.
Animals from disturbed patches had a significantly greater cell-mediated
immune response and a reduced humoral immune response compared with those
from undisturbed patches. Animals in disturbed patches also had a lower
hematocrit and tended to have a smaller increase in WBC in response to
SRBC injection. Mice caught in disturbed patches had significantly smaller
masses of the stomach and caecum. Masses of reproductive organs showed
no significant differences. We concluded that white-footed mice from disturbed
patches exhibited reduced humoral immune function compared with animals
in undisturbed patches. In contrast, cell-mediated immunity, diet quality
and stress level were not adversely affected by anthropogenic disturbances.
These results suggest that mice in disturbed patches have increased vulnerability
to parasitic infections and diseases which may be transmitted to adjacent
animal and human populations. Date Modified December, 2004
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