Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Consequences of repeated sarcoptic mange outbreaks in an endangered mammal population
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology. Swedish Museum of Natural History, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8264-8393
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Animal Ecology. Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9207-5709
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology. County Administrative Board of Jämtland, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6534-3819
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Animal Ecology.
Show others and affiliations
Number of Authors: 62024 (English)In: Ecography, ISSN 0906-7590, E-ISSN 1600-0587, Vol. 2024, no 10, article id e07291Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Diseases and parasites are important drivers of population dynamics in wild mammal populations. Small and endangered populations that overlap with larger, reservoir populations are particularly vulnerable to diseases and parasites, especially in ecosystems highly influenced by climate change. Sarcoptic mange, caused by a parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei, constitutes a severe threat to many wildlife populations and is today considered a panzootic. The Scandinavian arctic fox Vulpes lagopus is endangered with a fragmented distribution and is threatened by e.g. red fox Vulpes vulpes expansion, prey scarcity and inbreeding depression. Moreover, one of the subpopulations in Scandinavia has suffered from repeated outbreaks of sarcoptic mange during the past decade, most likely spread by red foxes. This was first documented in 2013 and then again 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. We used field inventories and wildlife cameras to follow the development of sarcoptic mange outbreaks in this arctic fox subpopulation with specific focus on disease transmission and consequences for reproductive output. In 2013–2014, we documented visual symptoms of sarcoptic mange in about 30% of the total population. Despite medical treatment, we demonstrate demographic consequences where the number of arctic fox litters plateaued and litter size was reduced after the introduction of S. scabiei. Furthermore, we found indications that mange likely was transmitted by a few arctic foxes travelling between several dens, i.e. ‘super-spreaders'. This study highlights sarcoptic mange as a severe threat to small populations and can put the persistence of the entire Scandinavian arctic fox population at risk.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. Vol. 2024, no 10, article id e07291
Keywords [en]
climate change, conservation biology, mange outbreak, panzootic, Sarcoptes scabiei, wildlife disease
National Category
Zoology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-237704DOI: 10.1111/ecog.07291ISI: 001260724600001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85197608261OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-237704DiVA, id: diva2:1926181
Available from: 2025-01-10 Created: 2025-01-10 Last updated: 2025-10-03Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Wallén, Johan FredrikErlandsson, RasmusLarm, MalinMeijer, TomasNorén, KarinAngerbjörn, Anders

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Wallén, Johan FredrikErlandsson, RasmusLarm, MalinMeijer, TomasNorén, KarinAngerbjörn, Anders
By organisation
Department of ZoologyAnimal EcologyDepartment of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
In the same journal
Ecography
Zoology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 171 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf