| Summary: | Abstract Many populations of large carnivores are fragmented today and are therefore vulnerable to the harmful effects of inbreeding. Population health is central for the conservation and management of isolated populations. However, in wild populations inbreeding and health effects are usually difficult to assess. Two well-known cases of conservation concern are the inbred wolf (Canis lupus) populations from Scandinavia and Isle Royale, USA that have been more or less isolated for decades. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and morphology of vertebral malformations (i.e. anomalies) in these populations including two reference populations. Dental anomalies were also examined in wolves from Scandinavia including a review of reported soft tissue anomalies. In the separate studies I–III, we investigate a total of 324 wolves including 174 individuals from the contemporary Scandinavian population and 36 from Isle Royale. The reference populations included 84 wolves from the Finnish population and 30 wolves from the extinct historical Scandinavian population. The frequency of vertebral malformations in wolves from Isle Royale increased over time. The same pattern was evident in Scandinavian wolves when multiple types of anomalies were considered. The most common type of vertebral anomaly in the inbred populations was lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, LSTV, which is considered hereditary and clinically significant in dogs (Canis familiaris). Population comparisons showed that the incidence of this anomaly seemed to be associated with the extent of inbreeding in the populations. Paper ll in this thesis is the first study that indicates how genetic deterioration has compromised the morphology of Isle Royale wolves. This has a very important conservation implication since this population has been a famous example that policy makers have used to support arguments that small populations can avoid genetic deterioration. The results of this thesis have implication for understanding population health in small ...
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