Demographic expansion of an African opportunistic carnivore during the Neolithic revolution

Abstract

The diffusion of Neolithic technology together with the Holocene Climatic Optimum fostered the spread of human settlements and pastoral activities in North Africa, resulting in profound and enduring consequences for the dynamics of species, communities and landscapes. Here, we investigate the demographic history of the African wolf ( Canis lupaster ), a recently recognized canid species, to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in food availability that emerged after the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa. We screened nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in samples collected throughout Algeria and Tunisia, and implemented coalescent approaches to estimate the variation of effective population sizes from present to ancestral time. We have found consistent evidence supporting the hypothesis that the African wolf population experienced a meaningful expansion concurring with a period of rapid population expansion of domesticates linked to the advent of agricultural practices.

Ethnozoology among the Berbers: pre-Islamic practices survive in the Rif (northwestern Africa)

“…Literature sources for this catalogue include [32] for amphibians and reptiles, [34] for birds, and [35] for mammals. Recent genetic studies [67] suggest only one jackal-like canid (the African wolf, Canis lupaster) be included in our study area.…”

“…It was also utilized for magical and aphrodisiac purposes in the Fez region [43]. The value of honey for treating symptoms of the common cold was mentioned by both Dioscorides and al-Baytar [67,68]. Lampyridae Latreille, 1817: Hunted at night, it is dried and crushed to make a pâté that is ingested to treat Fig.…”

“…Consumption of the flesh of this species is prohibited by Islam, but it does happen, as noted by Drummond-Hay and Cabrera [18,22], suggesting that these practices are ancient. In this region, African wolves were favored during the Neolithic expansion of the human population, and ethnozoologic utilization probably began well before the Arab conquest and the expansion of Islam [67]. In the Rif and throughout Morocco, however, wolves have undergone a population decrease in recent years, not due to ethnozoological uses but strychnine poisoning campaigns [79].…”

“…Lice are the most frequently cited parasites, a consequence of the coexistence of some groups with livestock. Assistance with sleep or waking is generally meant to promote more effective nighttime livestock monitoring, which is especially important for those tribes partially dedicated to extensive livestock farming in a country where livestock predators have, until recently, maintained healthy populations [18,35,67]. Treatments for the eyes are meant to improve eyesight while hunting [78].…”

Assessing signals of selection and historical demography to develop conservation strategies in the Chilean emblematic Araucaria araucana

“…In this context, we hypothesize that distributions of outlier loci in Araucaria araucana , might be correlated with environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, which are known to have high impact on distributions of plant species 4 , 5 , 35 . On the other hand, because of climatic changes caused by glaciation, it might be expected to find populations in recolonized areas due to expansion from populations acting as refugia 51 , 52 . This is an important aspect to consider in these populations because they might have been more susceptible to loss of alleles 53 – 56 , including outlier loci with adaptative significance.…”