Jouni Aspi

University of Oulu · Ecology & Genetics Research Unit, Biodiversity unit

Detecting rare and elusive species from vast wilderness areas poses significant challenges. The Fennoscandian population of Anser erythropus (Lesser White-fronted Goose) is among the most endangered bird populations in Europe, with only 25–30 breeding pairs remaining in Northern Norway. Historically, its former breeding range extended across the mo...

One of the most fascinating mammalian range expansions in Europe involves an opportunistic mesocarnivore―the golden jackal ( Canis aureus ). However, key questions about the origins and dispersal strategies of pioneering individuals, likely the first to establish new populations, remain unanswered. We analyzed genetic data from three golden jackals...

Harmonising methodology between countries is crucial in transborder population monitoring. However, immediate application of alleged, established DNA-based methods across the extended area can entail drawbacks and may lead to biases. Therefore, genetic methods need to be tested across the whole area before being deployed. Around 4,500 brown bears (...

Aim Our aim was to assess the population structure, genetic diversity and demographic history of the wolverine (Gulo gulo) throughout its entire Eurasian range. Additionally, we aimed to contextualize and put into perspective the state of the endangered Fennoscandian population by emphasizing its connectivity to other populations. Location The mai...

For many aquatic and semiaquatic mammal, amphibian and fish species, environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are employed to detect species distribution and to monitor their presence, but eDNA is much less employed for avian species. Here, we eveloped primers for the detection of true geese and swan species using eDNA and optimised a PCR protocol for eDNA...

In recent decades, the golden jackal (Canis aureus) has expanded its range westwards and northwards in Europe. In this study, we present genetic and morphological data on the first golden jackal collected north of the Arctic Circle. An adult male was shot after having been captured in a leg snare set for foxes near Sodankylä in Finland. It was a...

The so-called man-eating wolves of Turku, a pack of three wolves, reportedly killed 22 children in South-Western Finland in 1880–1881. Enormous efforts were carried out to eradicate them. In January 1882 the last remaining wolf was killed. Since then, there has been considerable debate regarding the validity and extent of the man-eating behaviour....

Over the last hundred years, many large carnivore species have suffered range contractions, population losses, and habitat alterations that may be influencing their dietary preferences. To identify shifting isotopic niches and reconstruct past and present diets from species of high conservation concern, stable isotope analysis (SIA) of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵...

Detecting extremely rare and elusive species from vast wilderness areas is highly challenging. The Fennoscandian population of lesser white-fronted goose (LWfG; Anser erythropus) is the most endangered bird in Europe, with only 25-30 breeding pairs remaining in Northern Norway. Its former breeding range, however, covered mountainous parts of the en...

For many aquatic and semiaquatic mammal, amphibian and fish species, environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are employed to detect species distribution and to monitor their presence, but eDNA is much less employed for avian species. Here, we developed primers for the detection of true geese and swan species using eDNA and optimized a PCR protocol for eDN...

The Sicilian wolf remained isolated in Sicily from the end of the Pleistocene untilits extermination in the 1930s–1960s. Given its long-term isolation on the islandand distinctive morphology, the genetic origin of the Sicilian wolf remainsdebated. We sequenced four nuclear genomes and five mitogenomes from theseven existing museum specimens to inve...

The distribution ranges and spatio‐temporal patterns in the occurrence and activity of boreal bats are yet largely unknown due to their cryptic lifestyle and lack of suitable and efficient study methods. We approached the issue by establishing a permanent passive‐acoustic sampling setup spanning the area of Finland to gain an understanding on how l...

The Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is endemic to Lake Saimaa in Finland. The subspecies is thought to have originated when parts of the ringed seal population of the Baltic region were trapped in lakes emerging due to postglacial bedrock rebound around 9000 years ago. During the 20th century, the population experienced a drastic human-...

The distribution ranges and spatio-temporal patterns in the occurrence and activity of boreal bats are yet largely unknown due to their cryptic lifestyle and lack of suitable and efficient study methods. We approached the issue by establishing a permanent passive-acoustic sampling setup spanning the area of Finland to gain an understanding on how l...

Arctic ecosystems are changing dramatically with warmer and wetter conditions resulting in complex interactions between herbivores and their forage. We investigated how Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) modify their late winter diets in response to long‐term trends and interannual variation in forage availability and accessibility...

Favourable reference value for the Finnish wolf population -Final report.

Information on genetic population structure provides important knowledge for species conservation. Yet, few studies combine extensive genetic data to evaluate the structure and population dynamics of transboundary populations. Here we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), microsatellites and mitochondrial haplotypes to analyze the genetic po...

Aim The Saimaa ringed seal ( Pusa hispida saimensis ) is endemic to Lake Saimaa in Finland. The subspecies is thought to have originated when parts of the ringed seal population of the Baltic region were trapped in lakes emerging due to post-glacial bedrock rebound around 9,000 years ago. During the 20 th century, the population experienced a drast...

The wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Finland has undergone significant population declines in the past. Since major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes encode proteins involved in pathogen recognition, the diversity of these genes provides insights into the immunological fitness of regional populations. We sequenced 862 amplicons (242 bp) of MHC class I...

Transboundary connectivity is a key component when conserving and managing animal species that require large areas to maintain viable population sizes. Wolves Canis lupus recolonized the Scandinavian Peninsula in the early 1980s. The population is geographically isolated and relies on immigration to not lose genetic diversity and to maintain long t...

Hybridisation between wild and domestic taxa raises complex questions for conservation. Genetic advances offer new methods for hybrid identification, yet social and cultural factors can influence study design, and the interpretation, application, and communication of results. A relevant illustration is hybridisation between domestic dogs (Canis lup...

Abstract The population numbers of taiga bean goose (Anser fabalis fabalis) have halved during recent decades. Since this subspecies is hunted throughout most of its range, the decline is of management concern. Knowledge of the genetic population structure and diversity is important for guiding management and conservation efforts. Genetically uniqu...

The Sicilian wolf represented the only population of wolves living on a Mediterranean island until the first half of the twentieth century (1930s-1960s) 1–7 . Previous studies hypothesised that they remained isolated from mainland wolves from the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) 8,9 , until human persecutions led them to extinction 1–7 . There...

Sociality in animal populations is a continuum, and interactions between conspecifics are meaningful for all vertebrates. Ignorance of social structures can lead to misunderstanding their ecology and, consequently, to unsuccessful species management. Here, we combined genetic and spatial data on radio-collared brown bears (Ursus arctos) to investig...

Sociality in animal populations is a continuum, and interactions between conspecifics are meaningful for all vertebrates. Ignorance of social structures can lead to misunderstanding their ecology and, consequently, to unsuccessful species management. Here, we combined genetic and spatial data on radio-collated brown bears (Ursus arctos) to investig...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has assigned the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) with the task of producing a reference value for the favourable conservation status of Finland’s wolf population to plan the management of the entire wolf population. This interim report of the two-year project (2021–2022) presents the activities ca...

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this paper, we 1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), 2) publish this library, and 3) deliver a new identifica...

The population numbers of taiga bean goose ( Anser fabalis fabalis ) have halved during recent decades. Since this subspecies is hunted throughout most of its range, the decline is of management concern. Knowledge of the genetic population structure and diversity is important for guiding management and conservation efforts. Genetically unique subpo...

Background Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due...

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this paper, we 1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), 2) publish this library, and 3) deliver a new identifica...

Reindeer herding emerged among the indigenous Sámi of Northern Fennoscandia between ca. 800 and 1500 CE. While the details of the reindeer domestication process are still actively debated, it has been hypothesized that the transition to reindeer herding affected Sámi ritual practice, especially animal offerings given at various sacred sites. To exp...

Knowledge about the connectivity among natural populations is essential to identify management units for effective conservation actions. Conservation-minded management has led to the recovery of large carnivore populations in northern Europe, possibly restoring connectivity between the two separated, but expanding brown bear (Ursus arctos) populati...

Background Numerous megafauna species from northern latitudes went extinct during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition as a result of climate-induced habitat changes. However, several ungulate species managed to successfully track their habitats during this period to eventually flourish and recolonise the holarctic regions. So far, the genomic impac...

Background Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due...

Hybridisation and admixture can threaten the genetic integrity of populations and be of particular concern to endangered species. Hybridisation between grey wolves and dogs has been documented in many wolf populations worldwide and is a prominent example of human‐mediated hybridisation between a domesticated species and its wild relative. We analys...

We present information on five cases of sable escapees from two Russian fur farms and the capture of these animals in the Kirov region (one case) and in SE Finland (four cases). This proves the ability of immature sables born in captivity to survive in the wild, even in the harsh winters that are characteristic of the eastern part of Europe. We ass...

Selection by breeders modifies the morphology, behaviour and performance of domesticated species. Here, we examined signs of selection in Finnhorse, the only native horse breed in Finland. We first searched divergent genomic regions between Finnhorses and other breeds, as well as between different breeding sections of the Finnhorse with data from I...

Hybridization has frequently been observed between wild and domestic species and can substantially impact genetic diversity of both counterparts. Geese show some of the highest levels of interspecific hybridization across all bird orders, and two of the goose species in the genus Anser have been domesticated providing an excellent opportunity for a...

After decades, even centuries of persecution, large carnivore populations are widely recovering in Europe. Considering the recent recovery of the wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Finland, our aim was to evaluate genetic variation using 14 microsatellites and mtDNA control region (579 bp) in order (1) to determine whether the species is represented by a sin...

In 2015 a long-term, nationwide tick and tick-borne pathogen (TBP) monitoring project was started by the Finnish Tick Project and the Finnish Research Station network (RESTAT), with the goal of producing temporally and geographically extensive data regarding exophilic ticks in Finland. In the current study, we present results from the first four ye...

Ex situ storage plays an important role in the conservation of plant biodiversity. Cryopreservation at ultra-low temperatures (− 196 °C) is the only long-term ex situ preservation method for plant species that cannot be stored in seed banks. In the present study, we developed a cryopreservation protocol for micropropagated Rubus humulifolius (Rosac...

Abstract Background The Finnhorse was established as a breed more than 110 years ago by combining local Finnish landraces. Since its foundation, the breed has experienced both strong directional selection, especially for size and colour, and severe population bottlenecks that are connected with its initial foundation and subsequent changes in agric...

Hybridization has frequently been observed between wild and domestic species and can substantially impact genetic diversity of both counterparts. Geese show some of the highest levels of interspecific hybridization across all bird orders, and two of the goose species in genus Anser have been domesticated providing excellent opportunity for joint st...

We describe a specimen of the extinct Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica in the Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS (FMNH) in Helsinki, Finland. This specimen has not previously been described in the literature. It consists of the complete skeleton of a subadult individual collected in the nineteenth century, supposedly in Java. We confirmed...

Svalbard reindeer are found on an archipelago in the High Arctic between 74° and 81° north, a region that is undergoing significant changes in winter and summer climates. These climate change impacts range from negative effects on winter foraging such as rain on snow (ROS) events to the positive effects of warmer summers and more forage productivit...

The European domestic goose is a widely farmed species known to have descended from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser). However, the evolutionary history of this domesticate is still poorly known. Ancient DNA studies have been useful for many species, but there has been little such work on geese. We have studied temporal genetic variation among d...

Background Carnivores are re-establishing in many human-populated areas, where their presence is often contentious. Reaching consensus on management decisions is often hampered by a dispute over the size of the local carnivore population. Understanding the reproductive dynamics and individual movements of the carnivores can provide support for mana...

The number of effective breeders (N b ) and effective population size (N e ) are population parameters reflective of evolutionary potential, susceptibility to stochasticity, and viability. We have estimated these parameters using the linkage disequilibrium-based approach with LDNE through the latest phase of population recovery of the brown bears (...

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is an iconic large carnivore that has increasingly been recognized as an apex predator with intrinsic value and a keystone species. However, wolves have also long represented a primary source of human–carnivore conflict, which has led to long-term persecution of wolves, resulting in a significant decrease in their number...

Intra-specific geographic variation is probably one of the most common patterns studied in ungulate morphology. However, the shape of the mandible, a crucial feature with regard to feeding, has been greatly understudied in this context. Here, we utilized a museum collection of moose (Alces alces) mandibles to investigate whether we could detect sig...

Despite massive global conservation strategies, tiger populations continued to decline until recently, mainly due to habitat loss, human-animal conflicts, and poaching. These factors are known to affect the genetic characteristics of tiger populations and decrease local effective population sizes. The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) at the foothills of t...

Genotyping error rates (ADO = Allelic Dropout, FA = False Allele) at 13 microsatellite loci with n = 7 scat samples for RTR. (DOCX)

Summary of migrant assignments made on the basis of GENECLASS analysis. (DOCX)

STUCTURE plots for K = 2 and 3, based on 10 microsatellite loci, admixture model, with prior information of the geographical origin of the samples. (DOCX)

Selection of best possible number of genetic clusters on the basis of DIC criterion for BYM detecting two genetic populations. Individual assignment probabilities of Bengal tiger to genetic clusters using the model-based program TESS run of K = 2. (DOCX)

Results of DAPC analysis: Each population is shown in an ellipse of a different color. (a) Results with RTR, CTR and adjoining forest divisions; (b) results with CTR and adjoining forest divisions. In the bar plots of both figures each individual is represented by a single vertical colored line and lengths of colored line is proportional to each of...

Interpolation using a globally weighted regression of component 1 scores from sPCA. Contours are component scores representing similarity across the landscape. (DOCX)

AMOVA variations within and between tiger populations of WTAL, India. (DOCX)

Management of harvested species is of great importance in order to maintain a sustainable population. Genetics is, however, largely neglected in management plans. Here, we analysed the genetics of the bean goose (Anser fabalis) in order to aid conservation actions for the commonly hunted but declining subspecies, the taiga bean goose (A. f. fabalis...

Background Despite decades of studying, the mechanisms maintaining high diversity in the genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) are still puzzling scientists. In addition to pathogen recognition and other functions, MHC molecules may act prenatally in mate choice and in maternal-foetal interactions. These interactions are potential sel...