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22 April 2021 Greater Sage-Grouse survival varies with breeding season events in West Nile virus non-outbreak years
Lindsey A. Parsons, Travis J. Runia, Geoffrey P. Vincent, Andrew J. Gregory, Jonathan A. Jenks
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern and is highly susceptible to mortality from West Nile virus (WNV). Culex tarsalis, a mosquito species, is the suspected primary vector for transmitting WNV to sage-grouse. We captured, radio-tagged, and monitored female sage-grouse to estimate breeding season (April 15 to September 15) survival, 2016–2017. Deceased sage-grouse were tested for active WNV; live-captured and hunter-harvested sage-grouse were tested for WNV antibody titers. Additionally, we trapped mosquitoes with CO2-baited traps 4 nights per week (542 trap nights) to estimate WNV minimum infection rate (MIR). Eight sage-grouse mortalities occurred during the WNV seasons of 2016 and 2017, 5 had recoverable tissue, and 1 of 5 tested positive for WNV infection. Survival varied temporally with sage-grouse biological seasons, not WNV seasonality. Survival was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.56–0.78; n = 74) during the reproductive season (April 1 to September 15). Mammalian predators were the leading suspected cause of mortality (40%), followed by unknown cause (25%), avian predation (15%), unknown predation (15%), and WNV (5%). These results indicate WNV was not a significant driver of adult sage-grouse survival during this study. Three sage-grouse (1.9%; 95% CI: 0.5–5.9%) contained WNV antibodies. We captured 12,472 mosquitoes of which 3,933 (32%) were C. tarsalis. The estimated WNV MIR of C. tarsalis during 2016 and 2017 was 3.3 and 1.6, respectively. Our results suggest sage-grouse in South Dakota have limited exposure to WNV, and WNV was not a significant source of sage-grouse mortality in South Dakota during 2016 and 2017. Based on our finding that a majority of sage-grouse in South Dakota are susceptible to WNV infection, WNV could potentially have an impact on the population during an epizootic event; however, when WNV is at or near-endemic levels, it appears to have little impact on sage-grouse survival.

LAY SUMMARY

  • West Nile virus is a new disease to the United States. The Greater Sage-Grouse is susceptible to mortality from West Nile virus.

  • We captured and radio-tagged sage-grouse to monitor survival. We collected blood from sage-grouse to test for West Nile virus antibodies. We captured and tested Culex tarsalis mosquitoes for West Nile virus. C. tarsalis is a species commonly associated with transmitting West Nile virus.

  • Most sage-grouse (70%) died from predation and one of 20 sage-grouse mortalities (5%) was caused by West Nile virus. Overall, we observed low sage-grouse exposure to West Nile virus (<2%). We did not document a decrease in survival during West Nile virus season and found that survival varies with breeding season events for sage-grouse (nesting and brood rearing).

  • One caveat is that we found low numbers of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus, indicating that conditions were not suitable for an outbreak during our study.

Copyright © American Ornithological Society 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Lindsey A. Parsons, Travis J. Runia, Geoffrey P. Vincent, Andrew J. Gregory, and Jonathan A. Jenks "Greater Sage-Grouse survival varies with breeding season events in West Nile virus non-outbreak years," Ornithological Applications 123(2), 1-14, (22 April 2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duab002
Received: 30 June 2020; Accepted: 15 December 2020; Published: 22 April 2021
KEYWORDS
Culex tarsalis
greater sage-grouse
mosquito
South Dakota
survival
West Nile virus
zoonotic
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