Wolf-dog admixture highlights the need for methodological standards and multidisciplinary cooperation for effective governance of wild x domestic hybrids

Strønen, Astrid Vik; Aspi, Jouni; Caniglia, Romolo; Fabbri, Elena; Galaverni, Marco; Godinho, Raquel; Kvist, Laura; Mattucci, Federica; Nowak, Carsten; Thaden, Alina von; Harmoinen, Jenni

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109467

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Despite this, the average levels of homozygosity found in contemporary Iberian wolves are much lower than those reported for wolf populations presenting signs of genomic erosion associated with high inbreeding (e.g. grey wolves from Southeast Alaska; estimates based on a similar number of SNPs; Pacheco, Stronen et al., 2022), suggesting that Iberian wolves are not facing a risk of inbreeding depression.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…In fact, anthropogenic hybridization between wolves and dogs has often been a topic of scientific debate owing to its potential conservation implications (e.g. Donfrancesco et al., 2019; Hindrikson et al., 2017; Salvatori et al., 2020; Stronen et al., 2022), which include the dilution of genetic distinctiveness of wolves through dog introgression, and disruption of behaviour and local adaptations (Bassi et al., 2017; Caniglia et al., 2014; Popova & Zlatanova, 2019; Salvatori et al., 2019). The occurrence of wolf–dog hybridization correlates with disruption of social structure in wolf packs and it is more frequent in peripheral areas of the wolf range, particularly in fragmented and small populations (Galaverni et al., 2017; Godinho et al., 2011; Hindrikson et al., 2017), which are outnumbered by free‐ranging dogs (Pilot et al., 2021; Randi & Lucchini, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The population bottleneck of the Iberian wolf impacted genetic diversity but not admixture with domestic dogs: A temporal genomic approach

Lobo,

López‐Bao,

Godinho

2023

Molecular Ecology

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After decades of intense persecution, the Iberian wolf subspecies faced a severe bottleneck in the 1970s that considerably reduced its range and population size, nearly leading to its extinction in central and southern Iberian Peninsula. Such population decline could have impacted the genetic diversity of Iberian wolves through different processes, namely genetic drift and dynamics of hybridization with domestic dogs. By contrasting the genomes of 68 contemporary with 54 historical samples spanning the periods before and immediately after the 1970s bottleneck, we found evidence of its impact on genetic diversity and dynamics of wolf–dog hybridization. Our genome‐wide assessment revealed that wolves and dogs form two well‐differentiated genetic groups in Iberia and that hybridization rates did not increase during the bottleneck. However, an increased number of hybrid individuals was found over time during the population re‐expansion, particularly at the edge of the wolf range. We estimated a low percentage of dog ancestry (~1.4%) in historical samples, suggesting that dog introgression was not a key driver for wolf extinction in central and southern Iberia. Our findings also unveil a significant decline in genetic diversity in contemporary samples, with the highest proportion of homozygous segments in the genome being recently inherited. Overall, our study provides unprecedented insight into the impact of a sharp decline on the Iberian wolf genome and refines our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary drivers of wolf–dog hybridization in the wild.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The population bottleneck of the Iberian wolf impacted genetic diversity but not admixture with domestic dogs: A temporal genomic approach

Lobo,

López‐Bao,

Godinho

2023

Molecular Ecology

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“…Therefore, these results should be implemented in additional future studies, applying this survey design for several reproductive years and replicating it in different areas. Furthermore, other future perspectives in wolf pack detection should be considered, such as the support of telemetry [ 69 ], drones [ 70 ] or improved molecular tools, such as specific panels of single nucleotide polymorphisms, highly performing in genotyping non-invasively collected samples (SNPs) [ 71 , 72 ] and innovative environmental DNA techniques [ 73 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Choose? Comparing Different Methods to Count Wolf Packs in a Protected Area of the Northern Apennines

Dissegna

Rota

Basile

et al. 2023

Genes

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Despite a natural rewilding process that caused wolf populations in Europe to increase and expand in the last years, human–wolf conflicts still persist, threatening the long-term wolf presence in both anthropic and natural areas. Conservation management strategies should be carefully designed on updated population data and planned on a wide scale. Unfortunately, reliable ecological data are difficult and expensive to obtain and often hardly comparable through time or among different areas, especially because of different sampling designs. In order to assess the performance of different methods to estimate wolf (Canis lupus L.) abundance and distribution in southern Europe, we simultaneously applied three techniques: wolf howling, camera trapping and non-invasive genetic sampling in a protected area of the northern Apennines. We aimed at counting the minimum number of packs during a single wolf biological year and evaluating the pros and cons for each technique, comparing results obtained from different combinations of these three methods and testing how sampling effort may affect results. We found that packs’ identifications could be hardly comparable if methods were separately used with a low sampling effort: wolf howling identified nine, camera trapping 12 and non-invasive genetic sampling eight packs. However, increased sampling efforts produced more consistent and comparable results across all used methods, although results from different sampling designs should be carefully compared. The integration of the three techniques yielded the highest number of detected packs, 13, although with the highest effort and cost. A common standardised sampling strategy should be a priority approach to studying elusive large carnivores, such as the wolf, allowing for the comparison of key population parameters and developing shared and effective conservation management plans.

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“…This approach is particularly when applied to elusive and threatened large or meso-carnivores such as the wolf and the European wildcat [ 23 , 39 ]. These two iconic species can somewhat share their ecological niches and sometimes their territories could overlap those of their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation and its possible deleterious consequences [ 40 ]. Such phenomenon, if widely spread, could undermine the gene pool integrity of wild ancestors through the introgression of domestic artificially selected genetic variants, which might potentially affect morphological, physiological, and behavioural traits of natural populations [ 13 , 41 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”: Molecular Tools to Reconstruct multilocus Genetic Profiles from Wild Canid Consumption Remains

Velli

Mattucci

Lazzeri

et al. 2022

Animals

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Simple Summary Wolves and European wildcats are two iconic predator species that can live in overlapping ecological contexts and also share their habitats with their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation and its possible deleterious consequences. By applying a multidisciplinary approach, we morphologically and molecularly analysed the cat remains found in a canid faecal sample collected in a forested area of central Italy. Individual multilocus genotypes of both predator and prey were identified turning out to be, respectively, a wolf showing traces of dog ancestry at autosomal microsatellite loci and a domestic cat. Abstract Non-invasive genetic sampling is a practical tool to monitor pivotal ecological parameters and population dynamic patterns of endangered species. It can be particularly suitable when applied to elusive carnivores such as the Apennine wolf ( Canis lupus italicus ) and the European wildcat ( Felis silvestris silvestris ), which can live in overlapping ecological contexts and sometimes share their habitats with their domestic free-ranging relatives, increasing the risk of anthropogenic hybridisation. In this case study, we exploited all the ecological and genetic information contained in a single biological canid faecal sample, collected in a forested area of central Italy, to detect any sign of trophic interactions between wolves and European wildcats or their domestic counterparts. Firstly, the faecal finding was morphologically examined, showing the presence of felid hair and claw fragment remains. Subsequently, total genomic DNA contained in the hair and claw samples was extracted and genotyped, through a multiple-tube approach, at canid and felid diagnostic panels of microsatellite loci . Finally, the obtained individual multilocus genotypes were analysed with reference wild and domestic canid and felid populations to assess their correct taxonomic status using Bayesian clustering procedures. Assignment analyses classified the genotype obtained from the endothelial cells present on the hair sample as a wolf with slight signals of dog ancestry, showing a q i = 0.954 (C.I. 0.780–1.000) to the wolf cluster, and the genotype obtained from the claw as a domestic cat, showing a q i = 0.996 (95% C.I. = 0.982–1.000) to the domestic cat cluster. Our results clearly show how a non-invasive multidisciplinary approach allows the cost-effective identification of both prey and predator genetic profiles and their taxonomic status, contributing to the improvement of our knowledge about feeding habits, predatory dynamics, and anthropogenic hybridisation risk in threatened species.

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Wolf-dog admixture highlights the need for methodological standards and multidisciplinary cooperation for effective governance of wild x domestic hybrids

Cited by 13 publications

References 84 publications

The population bottleneck of the Iberian wolf impacted genetic diversity but not admixture with domestic dogs: A temporal genomic approach

The population bottleneck of the Iberian wolf impacted genetic diversity but not admixture with domestic dogs: A temporal genomic approach

How to Choose? Comparing Different Methods to Count Wolf Packs in a Protected Area of the Northern Apennines

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”: Molecular Tools to Reconstruct multilocus Genetic Profiles from Wild Canid Consumption Remains

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