Carl-Gustaf Thulin

• PhD
• Researcher at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

European grasslands and their biodiversity are declining rapidly due to land use changes, which highlight the need to develop effective restoration strategies. This study investigates the impact of reintroducing the Swedish national horse breed (the Gotland Russ) on grassland plant diversity and evenness in abandoned agricultural landscapes in Sout...

Humans have moved domestic animals around the globe for thousands of years. These have occasionally established feral populations in nature, often with devastating ecological consequences. To understand how natural selection shapes re-adaptation into the wild, we investigated one of the most successful colonizers in history, the European rabbit. By...

In the last decades the harvest data of hares (Lepus spp.) have declined drastically in Sweden. Population estimates are currently based on hunting bags, because other monitoring results are lacking on a national level. To determine the density of two hare species in Sweden, the native mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and the non-native brown hare (Le...

We provide the first whole genome sequences from three specimens of the mountain hare subspecies the heath hare (Lepus timidus sylvaticus), along with samples from two mountain hares (Lepus timidus timidus) and two brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from Sweden. The heath hare has a unique grey winter pelage as compared to other mountain hares (white) a...

Grassland ecosystems are species-rich habitats that are rapidly declining globally posing serious concerns for biodiversity conservation. This situation is particularly relevant in agricultural areas in Europe. As traditional management practices and livestock grazing regimes ceased, rewilding could be a potential avenue to tackle current biodivers...

Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) seems to outcompete mountain hare (L. timidus) wherever the two species co-occur, but few studies have validated or even addressed this issue. In southern Sweden, the distribution of non-native brown hare overlaps with that of the mountain hare subspecies heath hare (L. t. sylvaticus), possibly the only mammalian subspe...

The recovery of many populations of large carnivores and herbivores in major parts of Europe and North America offers ecosystem services and opportunities for sustainable utilization of wildlife. Examples of services are hunting, meat, and skin, along with less invasive utilization such as ecotourism and wildlife spotting. An increasing number of s...

Large herbivores play key roles in terrestrial ecosystems. Continuous defaunation processes have produced cascade effects on plant community composition, vegetation structure, and even climate. Wood-pastures were created by traditional management practices that have maintained open structures and biodiversity for millennia. In Europe, despite the b...

Semi‐natural grasslands are rich in biodiversity and thus important habitats for conservation, yet they are experiencing rapid declines due to agricultural intensification and abandonment. Promoting a more diverse mammalian herbivore community, including large and megaherbivores, may result in positive cascade effects for biodiversity and ecosystem...

In Fennoscandia, mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus) hybridize and produce fertile offspring, resulting in gene flow across the species barrier. Analyses of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) show that introgression occur frequently, but unavailability of appropriate nuclear DNA markers has made it difficult t...

F1 hybrid genotyping using the species-specific loci listed in S2 File. (XLSX)

List of loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in brown hare and mountain hare. Species on separate spreadsheets. (XLSX)

Probe sequences for the SNP markers used in the study. (XLSX)

Allele frequencies for all analyzed loci used and a list species diagnostic SNP markers. (XLSX)

Posterior probabilities for different hybrid classes based on NEWHYBRID analysis. (XLSX)

Disruption of naturally evolved spatial patterns of genetic variation and local adaptations is a growing concern in wildlife management and conservation. During the last decade, releases of native taxa with potentially non-native genotypes have received increased attention. This has mostly concerned conservation programs, but releases are also wide...

The overall purpose of this study was to assess how domestic Gotland Russ, a Swedish horse, manage under semi-feral conditions. In this part of the study, we evaluated the habitat use in the Gotland Russ. Furthermore, we investigated how habitat selection and feeding behaviour changed during late, boreal winter (January-April) in relation to change...

After domestication, wild progenitors, such as the aurochs and the wild horse, became extinct. For the European rabbit, however, ancestral, domestic, and feral populations exist. During domestication of the rabbit, very few alleles have been fixed for selective traits, and thus, the ancestral genotypes have been preserved in lowered frequencies. Th...

The repertoires of bitter-taste receptor (T2R) gene have been described for several animal species, but these data are still scarce for Lagomorphs. The aim of the present work is to identify potential repertoires of T2R in several Lagomorph species, covering a wide geographical distribution. We studied these genes in Lepus timidus, L. europaeus, Or...

Bitter-taste receptor (T2R) protein sequences obtained for the different species studied.

Percent identity matrix obtained by MUSCLE analysis.

The order Lagomorpha comprises about 90 living species, divided in two families: the pikas (Family Ochotonidae), and the rabbits, hare and jackrabbits (Family Leporidae). Lagomorphs are important economically and scientifically as a major human food resource, valued game species, pests of agricultural significance, model laboratory animals, and key...

Sammanfattande förslag SLU gör en tematisk satsning på viltforskning, som integrerar den ämnesövergripande kompetensen, och erbjuder en utveckling mot framtidsfrågorna. ”Vilt, människa & samhälle” blir tema för den fakultetsövergripande forskningssatsningen, som innehåller tre delar: - Hållbart viltbruk - Vilthälsa utan gränser - Viltets ekosystemt...

In many parts of Europe and North America, populations of large mammals and birds have recovered during recent decades. In Sweden, this has resulted in more wildlife than was historically recorded. This positive development provides a number of opportunities for ecosystem services and for biodiversity. More wildlife also means more interactions wit...

Knowledge of the reproductive biology of game species is vital for sustainable management. In moose (Alces alces), research in reproductive characteristics has focused on the female, whereas there are few studies in male moose. The aim of the present study was to investigate sperm morphology and chromatin integrity (SCSA), and their relationships w...

The moose (Alces alces) is an intensively managed keystone species in Fennoscandia. Several aspects of reproduction in moose have not been fully elucidated, including puberty, timing of mating and oestrus, and the length of the oestrus period. These aspects are relevant for an adaptive management of moose with respect to harvest, population size, d...

SUMMARY The occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum was investigated in spleen and serum samples from Swedish moose (Alces alces) in southern Sweden (island and mainland). Samples were analysed for presence of A. phagocytophilum DNA by real-time PCR (n = 263), and for Anaplasma antibodies with ELISA serology (n = 234). All serum samples had antibod...

Flight initiation distances (FIDs) of nesting birds approached by a predator likely reflect evolutionary stable strategies in which birds make trade-offs between adult survival and reproductive success. Here, we test if FID (a) had an impact on hatching success, (b) was adjusted to current conditions, and (c) was consistent for individual nests. Al...

In the 19th century, the red deer (Cervus elaphus) population in Sweden experienced a rapid decline in numbers and distribution. A small population was, however, remnant in the southernmost province (Skåne) of the country, presumably corresponding to the nominate form of red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphusLinnaeus, 1758). After management, reintroduct...

Introduced populations can be affected by random processes such as genetic drift, deterministic processes given by the local environmental conditions and anthropogenic fac- tors such as hunting and management. Geographically con- strained populations are particularly exposed to these processes, and altogether, these factors may result in rapid diff...

The muskox Ovibos moschatus (Zimmerman 1780) is a specialised arctic mammal with a highly fragmented circumpolar distribution, with native populations in Canada and east Greenland and introduced populations in west Greenland, Alaska, Siberia and Eurasia. In 1971, five O. moschatus individuals from an introduced population in Norway migrated to Swed...

Willow grouse (L. lagopus) and rock ptarmigan (L. muta) are sibling species with similar phenotypic and life histories that coexist sympatrically in wide areas of their distribution range. These grouse are amongst the most popular game birds in Scandinavia but contrary to other quarry species, no restocking with captive-bred animals has ever been p...

In Scandinavia, suspected hybrids between the native mountain hare Lepus timidus and the introduced brown hare L. europaeus have been observed by hunters since the first introductions of brown hares in the late 19th century. Several attempts to verify the status of these suspected hybrids have been unsuccessful. Recently, however, the transmission...

Hybridization occurs among many species, and may have implications for conservation as well as for evolution. Interspecific gene flow between brown hares Lepus europaeus and mountain hares L. timidus has been documented in Sweden and in continental Europe, and has probably to some extent occurred throughout history in sympatric areas. What local fa...

After a decline in the early 19th century, a remnant population of the Scandinavian roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was protected in southern Sweden around 1840. The roe deer quickly recovered and recolonized most of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In this study, I analyze microsatellite variation in 14 roe deer populations in Scandinavia to (1) investi...

Hybridisation among wild mammal populations may lead to introgression of genes and genomes over the species barrier. In Sweden, in northern Europe, and on the Iberian Peninsula in southern Europe, mitochondrial DNA from L. timidus occurs among L. europaeus specimens, presumably as a result of interspecific hybridisation. In Russia, the species are...

The combination of founder events, random drift and new selective forces experienced by introduced species typically lowers genetic variation and induces differentiation from the ancestral population. Here, we investigate microsatellite differentiation between introduced and native populations of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus)....

Through interspecific hybridization and subsequent backcrossing, genes and genomes may be transferred over the species barrier. In Sweden, the introduced brown hare Lepus europaeus hybridizes with the native mountain hare L. timidus. To investigate the direction and the extent of transfer of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) between the species, the mtDNA...

1. Throughout the most recent glacial period (Weichsel), the mountain hare Lepus timidus had a continuous distribution in the tundra habitat south of the ice-rim. When the ice retreated, mountain hares colonized deglaciated land, and spread over northern Europe. 2. Since the Weichsel, the mountain hare's distribution in Europe has been gradually re...

During their introduction, non-native species typically undergo founder events that reduce genetic variation. To allow a high-resolution genetic investigation of introduced populations of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), we developed primers for nine variable microsatellite loci. Their applicability was assessed in 10 mongooses from...

The brown hareLepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 occurs naturally in central Eurasia, but has been introduced to parts of northern Europe, South- and North America, Australia and New Zealand. Brown hares were introduced to Sweden from central Europe for hunting purposes during the 19th century. We investigated how the human--mediated brown hare colonisat...

To investigate if the postglacial dispersion of mountain hares (Lepus timidus) into the present geographically separated ranges in Europe has produced marked gene pool differentiation, 209 individuals from Scandinavia, Russia, the Alps, Scotland, and Ireland were screened for allozymic variability at 40 structural gene loci by horizontal starch gel...

Introduced species may hybridise with relatives in the native fauna or flora and thereby compete for matings and transmit alien DNA. Such interference may contaminate unique genepools, disturb existing ecological balances and may ultimately result in the extinction of the native species. In Sweden, the introduced brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.)...

If interspecific hybrids are fertile and backcross to either parental species, transmission of mitochondrial DNA over the species barrier can occur. To investigate if such transmission has occurred between the brown hare Lepus europeus Pall and the mountain hare L. timidus L. in Scandinavia, an analysis of genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA fro...

Thulin, C.-G., Tegelström, H. & Fredga, K. 2003: Haplotype diversity of mountain hare mtDNA among native mountain hares and introduced brown hares in Scandinavia. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 40: 45–52. Natural hybridisation and subsequent introgression mediate the transmission of mito-chondrial DNA (mtDNA) from native mountain hares (Lepus timidus) to int...