Change makers and public health advocates have found a disturbing link. As deer populations increase, moose persistence in New York’s Adirondacks may be threatened. In another recent study, researchers uncovered that deer are increasing the dispersal of two strains of deadly parasites which severely impact moose populations. This shocking turn of events jeopardizes the ecological balance of the region. Moose were a species that had been lost from the landscape for more than a century before their reintroduction in the 1980s.
Our study published in June in Ecology Letters goes even further, showing that parasites cause real damage to moose health. It is largely limited to discussing the brain or meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) and Fascioloides magna. In general, these parasites are not harmful to the deer. Nevertheless, they can inflict severe, long-term neurological trauma and mortality in moose. The research underscores the challenges that moose face as they struggle to thrive in an environment increasingly dominated by deer.
Impact of Parasites on Moose Health
The brain worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) is especially troubling, as it causes neurological problems in infected moose. Symptoms may vary from lethargy and lack of coordination to severe, irreversible neurological damage that can lead to death. Moose are particularly susceptible to these parasites, due in large part to the fact that moose are not evolved to live with them, as their deer relatives are.
Fascioloides magna, another parasite that professionally uses deer as its primary host, has huge dangers to moose. When these parasites invade, they frequently overwhelm and pervert normal biological functions, exposing patients to potentially life-threatening medical consequences. The research confirms a clear connection between the growing deer population and the increasing spread of parasites. This trump card makes an already difficult hand even worse for moose across the region.
During the course of more than two years, the biologists used remote cameras to study deer and moose populations. As they did, they swarmed across a 1,500 square-mile area in New York’s northern Adirondacks. They wanted to learn more about how species migrate and use their ranges. We have been studying the effects of those harmful parasites in these ecosystems.
Moose Population Struggles
Moose are doing well in New York, and populations there have remained stable. Current estimates indicate as few as 600-800 moose still surviving in the state. Even though they returned successfully from surrounding states throughout the 1980s, their populations have not bounced back as expected. Since their reintroduction, deer have increased exponentially. This rapid growth has created an unsustainable imbalance which is now jeopardizing moose survival.
The study’s corresponding author, Jennifer Grauer, Ph.D. ’24, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, emphasized the importance of understanding these dynamics. “Our findings suggest that parasite-mediated competition is limiting moose populations,” she stated. The study is the first to demonstrate that parasites have a profound effect on moose habitat use. This makes it all the more difficult for them to fight to survive in places that are currently inhabited by deer.
Additionally, researchers pointed out that moose are at relatively low densities compared to other states in the northeast. This difference has troubling implications for the long-term viability of moose in New York. We need to better understand the anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of parasite transmission.
Ecological Balance and Future Research
Our study’s conclusions underscore the complex interdependencies in ecosystems and the unexpected results that can occur due to species interactions. Research suggests that rising deer populations have increased the prevalence of parasites, which could eventually jeopardize moose health and survival. Researchers are doing their best to keep up with these trends. Saving parasites on moose They hope to develop management strategies that will lessen the effects of parasites on moose.