Genetic outcomes of wolf recovery in the western Great Lakes states

Abstract

Conflicting interpretations of the influence of coyote hybridization on wolf recovery in the western Great Lakes (WGL) states have stemmed from disagreement over the systematics of North American wolves. Questions regarding their recovery status have resulted. We addressed these issues with phylogenetic and admixture analysis of DNA profiles of western wolves, WGL states wolves and Wisconsin coyotes developed from autosome and Y-chromosome microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA control region sequence. Hybridization was assessed by comparing the haplotypes exhibited by sympatric wolves and coyotes. Genetic variability and connectivity were also examined. These analyses support the recognition of Canis lycaon as a unique species of North American wolf present in the WGL states and found evidence of hybridization between C. lupus and C. lycaon but no evidence of recent hybridization with sympatric coyotes. The recolonized WGL states wolves are genetically similar to historical wolves from the region and should be considered restored.

An Account of the Taxonomy of North American Wolves From Morphological and Genetic Analyses

“…Nowak's data for Minnesota likely reflect this substantial and recent contribution of C. 1. nubilus to Minnesota wolves. As will be discussed later, the genetic data (Fain et al 2010;Wheeldon et al 2010) indicate a substantial genetic contribution from the eastern wolf throughout the western Great Lakes to Minnesota and western Ontario.…”

“…The variably admixed nature of eastern wolf populations in the western Great Lake states determined from microsatellite DNA analysis has been noted by Fain et al (2010) and Wheeldon et al (2010) (Pritchard et al 2000;Schwartz and McKelvey 2009). Further, these western wolves likely represent C. 1. occidentalis rather than C. 1. nubilus; whereas, C. 1. nubilus is the subspecies of gray wolf likely to be involved in admixture with the eastern wolf in the western Great Lakes.…”

“…Elevated levels of genetic variation are consistent with an admixed population. Wheeldon et al (2010) included samples from northwest Ontario that clearly portray admixture, and the higher allelic richness of western Great Lakes wolves (Fain et al 2010) is also consistent with their genetically composite ancestry. Data from historical specimens from Minnesota and Wisconsin (Koblmuller et al 2009a;Wheeldon and White 2009) also suggest that admixture of the eastern wolf and western C. lupus had taken place prior to their extirpation from the region.…”

“…In the western Great Lakes, most wolves have indications of admixture (Fain et al 2010;Wheeldon et al 2010), but individual wolves vary greatly in the proportion of eastern wolf North American Fauna I www.fwspubs.org influence in their autosomal microsatellite genotypes. In other words, the microsatellite DNA data indicate that the wolves of the western Great Lakes region do not comprise a homogenous population, which is consistent with a composite origin and incomplete admixture.…”

A genome-wide perspective on the evolutionary history of enigmatic wolf-like canids

“…However, recent genetic studies found unique mtDNA haplotypes in Great Lakes wolves that were allied with coyotes and red wolves, as well as shared microsatellite alleles, suggesting that Great Lakes and red wolves may be conspecific or that the former is a distinct species derived from coyotes (Wilson et al 2000;Grewal et al 2004;Fain et al 2010). Our results show that the Great Lakes wolves are genetically distinct from Western gray wolves (F ST = 0.05), although whether such distinction reflects subspecies, ecotype, or distinct population status is controversial (Cronin and Mech 2009;Koblmüller et al 2009;Wheeldon and White 2009).…”