Hybridization in the Fox Genus Vulpes in West Texas

Thornton, W. A.; Creel, Gordon C.; Trimble, R. E.

doi:10.2307/3670227

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…2010b), which could have fostered hybridization because of a lack of alternative mate choices. Hybridization in other canid systems also has often been attributed to low density of one or both populations (Thornton et al. 1971; Lehman et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, foxes were generally scarce in the two hybrid zones (Sacks et al 2010b), which could have fostered hybridization because of a lack of alternative mate choices. Hybridization in other canid systems also has often been attributed to low density of one or both populations (Thornton et al 1971;Lehman et al 1991;Gotelli et al 1994;Kelly et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion

et al. 2010

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Introduced species can threaten native taxa in multiple ways, including competition and hybridization, which can reduce fitness, alter ecological niches or swamp native genomes. Encroachment and hybridization by introduced species also provide opportunities to study the dynamics of invasiveness and hybridization during early stages following contact. We used 33 microsatellites, 51 single nucleotide polymorphisms and a mtDNA marker to characterize the extent and spatial pattern of encroachment and hybridization between a native, endemic subspecies of red fox (Vulpes vulpes patwin) and an introduced red fox population composed of highly admixed, phylogenetically divergent stock, resulting from a century of domestication. Both nuclear and mtDNA markers indicated that hybridization was primarily restricted to a narrow zone where the two populations came into contact. Although a few introgressed genotypes were detected in the interior of the native range, we found no immigrant foxes or F(1) or F(2) hybrids there, suggesting native foxes excluded introduced individuals. We speculate that the observed interbreeding at the periphery was facilitated by low densities. In total, 98% of mtDNA haplotypes in the native range were native and 96% of the nuclear ancestry was estimated to be native. Although the introduced range had expanded fivefold over the past four decades, native and non-native haplotypes from museum samples collected in and near the native range three decades earlier showed a similar geographic distribution as today, suggesting that the native range and hybrid zone were relatively stable. We hypothesize that the monogamous mating system of red foxes and other wild canids may enhance their resistance to hybridization because of greater fitness consequences associated with mate discrimination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion

et al. 2010

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“…It is worth noting that the 226 references varied enormously in the quality of data (if any) brought to bear on assessments of hybridization as a risk or a threat. In some cases, hybridization was mentioned as a threat on the basis of as little as observing specimens that appeared morphologically intermediate between presumed parental types, as demonstrated in the case of the red fox below (Thornton, Creel, & Trimble, 1971). In contrast, some articles established the danger an invasive species (mallard ducks, Anas platyrhynchos ) posed because of hybridization with a native population (New Zealand native grey duck, Anas superciliosa ), using genetic proof of extensive introgression (Gillespie, 1985; Rhymer, Williams, & Braun, 1994).…”

Section: How Frequently Does Hybridization Imperil Species?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this species, the GISD cited Lewis, Sallee, and Golightly Jr (1999) as evidence of hybridization impacts. Lewis et al (1999) do not provide direct evidence on this point, but they did cite Thornton et al (1971). However, Thornton and colleagues merely mention “probable interspecific hybrid[s]” based on three fox specimens with unusual pelage coloration and a single fox skull that appeared intermediate between the non‐native red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) and the native Sierra Nevada red fox ( Vulpes vulpes necator ).…”

Section: How Frequently Does Hybridization Imperil Species?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Concern over hybridization risks should not preclude conservation interventions

Hirashiki

Kareiva

Marvier

2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Conservation interventions such as assisted migration and genetic alterations are controversial in part because, through unintended hybridization events, they may imperil native species. Threats could stem from hybrid offspring having altered fitness or from genetic swamping due to extensive introgression of non‐native genes. Over the last 40 years, papers discussing hybridization increasingly use value‐laden terminology (e.g., “genetic contamination”). Such terms presume that any amount of hybridization equates to harm, but this perspective is at odds with modern evolutionary theory's recognition of hybridization as a creative force that can accelerate evolution or spur adaptive breakthroughs. To assess the evidence undergirding perceptions of hybridization threats, we examined the IUCN's Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). Of 870 invasive species, the GISD identified 35 as potentially threatening endemic taxa via hybridization. For each of these 35 species, we assessed the quality of data that the GISD cited pertaining to hybridization. Direct evidence for hybridization was cited for only 16 species, and there was neither direct nor indirect evidence demonstrating reduced fitness of hybrid offspring for 18 species. In our era of rapid environmental change, it is time to examine hybridization case‐by‐case and not to presume that hybridization always presents a threat to biodiversity, but rather, to consider it as a potential pathway to species survival.

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“…Meanwhile, its influence on the evolutionary history on each particular species is not the same. The traces of hybridization are often only found in contact zones [ 28 , 29 ]. Despite the fact that the sizes and spatial organization of such zones can be different [ 30 , 31 ], their main characteristic is the particular localization of gene flow between species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surrounded by Kindred: Spermophilus major Hybridization with Other Spermophilus Species in Space and Time

Тухбатуллин

Ermakov

Kapustina

et al. 2023

Biology

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Among the numerous described cases of hybridization in mammals, the most intriguing are (a) cases of introgressive hybridization deeply affecting the evolutionary history of species, and (b) models involving not a pair of species but a multi-species complex. Therefore, the hybridization history of the russet ground squirrel Spermophilus major, whose range has repeatedly changed due to climatic fluctuations and now borders the ranges of four related species, is of great interest. The main aims of this study were to determine the direction and intensity of gene introgression, the spatial depth of the infiltration of extraneous genes into the S. major range, and to refine the hypothesis of the hybridogenic replacement of mitochondrial genomes in the studied group. Using phylogenetic analysis of the variability of mitochondrial (CR, cytb) and nuclear (SmcY, BGN, PRKCI, c-myc, i6p53) markers, we determined the contribution of neighboring species to the S. major genome. We showed that 36% of S. major individuals had extraneous alleles. All peripheral species that were in contact with S. major contributed towards its genetic variability. We also proposed a hypothesis for the sequence and localization of serial hybridization events. Our assessment of the S. major genome implications of introgression highlights the importance of implementing conservation measures to protect this species.

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Hybridization in the Fox Genus Vulpes in West Texas

Cited by 8 publications

References 10 publications

A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion

A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion

Concern over hybridization risks should not preclude conservation interventions

Surrounded by Kindred: Spermophilus major Hybridization with Other Spermophilus Species in Space and Time

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