Two centuries of the Scandinavian wolf population: patterns of genetic variability and migration during an era of dramatic decline

Flagstad, Øystein; Walker, Christopher W.; Vilà, Carles; Sundqvist, Anna-Karin; Fernholm, Bo; Hufthammer, Anne Karin; Wiig, Øystein; Koyola, I.; Ellegren, Hans

doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.01784.x

Cited by 107 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Consequently, all else being equal, diversity is expected to be higher for Y chromosome markers, which is observed for wolf populations. Additionally, a possible higher dispersal rate for male than for female wolves (Flagstad et al 2003;however, see Mech and Boitani 2003) could also contribute to greater Y chromosome diversity per population. Dog breeds were characterized by a pattern of mtDNA and Y chromosome diversity opposite to that found in natural gray wolf populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unequal Contribution of Sexes in the Origin of Dog Breeds

et al. 2006

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Dogs (Canis familiaris) were domesticated from the gray wolf (Canis lupus) at least 14,000 years ago, and there is evidence of dogs with phenotypes similar to those in modern breeds 4000 years ago. However, recent genetic analyses have suggested that modern dog breeds have a much more recent origin, probably ,200 years ago. To study the origin of contemporaneous breeds we combined the analysis of paternally inherited Y chromosome markers with maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA and biparentally inherited autosomal microsatellite markers in both domestic dogs and their wild ancestor, the gray wolf. Our results show a sex bias in the origin of breeds, with fewer males than females contributing genetically, which clearly differs from the breeding patterns in wild gray wolf populations where both sexes have similar contributions. Furthermore, a comparison of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome diversity in dog groups recognized by the World Canine Organization, as well as in groups defined by the breeds' genetic composition, shows that paternal lineages are more differentiated among groups than maternal lineages. This demonstrates a lower exchange of males than of females between breeds belonging to different groups, which illustrates how breed founders may have been chosen.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unequal Contribution of Sexes in the Origin of Dog Breeds

et al. 2006

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“…Extraction protocols for teeth [51,77] are often identical to bones, although the efficiency can vary among different protocols [79]. To prevent the destruction of the whole tooth, only the root tip can be removed or the material following drilling inside the root cavity can be recovered.…”

Section: Hides and Skinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to the future: museum specimens in population genetics

Wandeler

Hoeck

Keller

2007

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

539

523

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Museums and other natural history collections (NHC) worldwide house millions of specimens. With the advent of molecular genetic approaches these collections have become the source of many fascinating population studies in conservation genetics that contrast historical with present-day genetic diversity. Recent developments in molecular genetics and genomics and the associated statistical tools have opened up the further possibility of studying evolutionary change directly. As we discuss here, we believe that NHC specimens provide a largely underutilized resource for such investigations. However, because DNA extracted from NHC samples is degraded, analyses of such samples are technically demanding and many potential pitfalls exist. Thus, we propose a set of guidelines that outline the steps necessary to begin genetic investigations using specimens from NHC. Museums and other natural history collections (NHC) worldwide house millions of specimens. With the advent of molecular genetic approaches these collections have become the source of many fascinating population studies in conservation genetics that contrast historical with present-day genetic diversity. Recent developments in molecular genetics and genomics and the associated statistical tools have opened up the further possibility of studying evolutionary change directly. As we discuss here, we believe that NHC specimens provide a largely underutilized resource for such investigations. However, because DNA extracted from NHC samples is degraded, analyses of such samples are technically demanding and many potential pitfalls exist. Thus, we propose a set of guidelines that outline the steps necessary to begin genetic investigations using specimens from NHC. IntroductionGiven that evolution is change over time, documenting and understanding temporal patterns has long been at the heart of evolutionary studies. In disciplines such as palaeontology, inferences about evolutionary processes are drawn from the analyses of temporal patterns in the fossil record. Similarly, our understanding of microevolutionary processes (i.e. changes in gene frequencies over time) has often involved the analyses of records taken over several years; Dobzhanksy's [1] early studies of microevolution among Drosophila used this approach, a tradition that continues among students of this model organism today [2]. However, such microevolutionary studies were often limited to certain taxa and questions because the time available to document temporal changes was often limited to a few generations. How can these limitations be overcome? Long term studies, running over several decades, are one possibility and they are yielding fascinating insights, for example, into the role of reinforcement and character displacement in adaptive radiation and speciation [3,4]. Another approach, which gives longer time series, is to extend the data back in time using well preserved fossil samples or specimens from natural history collections (NHC). Here, we review the use of specimens from NHC for the ...

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“…Similar to the 550 mountain hare haplotype network, a network constructed from ancient and modern Eurasian 551 wolf samples shows weak geographic structuring and high levels of diversity (Germonpré et 552 al., 2009). Hunting of wolves has acted to reduce diversity somewhat in modern times, but 553 their high dispersal ability and generalist habitat requirements have acted to maintain a large 554 effective population size (Flagstad et al, 2003;Pilot et al, 2010). Red foxes also show little 555 genetic structuring in both ancient and modern populations and a relatively stable effective 556 population size since the Pleistocene (Teacher, Thomas & Barnes, 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%