Genomic Consequences of Fragmentation in the Endangered Fennoscandian Arctic Fox ().

Accelerating climate change is causing severe habitat fragmentation in the Arctic, threatening the persistence of many cold-adapted species. The Scandinavian arctic fox () is highly fragmented, with a once continuous, circumpolar distribution, it struggled to recover from a demographic bottleneck in the late 19th century. The future persistence of the entire Scandinavian population is highly dependent on the northernmost Fennoscandian subpopulations (Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula), to provide a link to the viable Siberian population.

Fur colour in the Arctic fox: genetic architecture and consequences for fitness.

Genome-wide association studies provide good opportunities for studying the genetic basis of adaptive traits in wild populations. Yet, previous studies often failed to identify major effect genes. In this study, we used high-density single nucleotide polymorphism and individual fitness data from a wild non-model species.

Low Persistence of Genetic Rescue Across Generations in the Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus).

Genetic rescue can facilitate the recovery of small and isolated populations suffering from inbreeding depression. Long-term effects are however complex, and examples spanning over multiple generations under natural conditions are scarce. The aim of this study was to test for long-term effects of natural genetic rescue in a small population of Scandinavian Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus).

Schizotypal traits in Swedish speaking psychiatric patients and non-psychiatric controls.

Recently, schizotypal personality traits were measured in a multinational sample recruited from 14 countries, however no Scandinavian cohort was included. The aim of this study was, therefore, to measure schizotypal personality traits in Swedish-speaking populations, with and without psychiatric disorders, and to investigate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B). The SPQ-B results from 50 psychiatric patients were compared to controls ( = 202).

Genetic rescue in an inbred Arctic fox () population.

Isolation of small populations can reduce fitness through inbreeding depression and impede population growth. Outcrossing with only a few unrelated individuals can increase demographic and genetic viability substantially, but few studies have documented such genetic rescue in natural mammal populations. We investigate the effects of immigration in a subpopulation of the endangered Scandinavian arctic fox (), founded by six individuals and isolated for 9 years at an extremely small population size.

Stepping-stone expansion and habitat loss explain a peculiar genetic structure and distribution of a forest insect.

It is challenging to unravel the history of organisms with highly scattered populations. Such species may have fragmented distributions because extant populations are remnants of a previously more continuous range, or because the species has narrow habitat requirements in combination with good dispersal capacity (naturally or vector borne). The northern pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pinivora has a scattered distribution with fragmented populations in two separate regions, northern and south-western Europe.

Limited emigration from an outbreak of a forest pest insect.

Population density and individual dispersal behaviour affect species' distribution dynamics. Population densities vary over time, and some species occasionally increase to very high numbers, for example during outbreaks. In such situations, populations are expected to expand into new areas as a result of density-dependent dispersal which sometimes even results in range expansion.