Record Dispersal by a Wolf from Minnesota

Fritts, Steven H.

doi:10.2307/1380772

Cited by 105 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…A. Leonard contributed equally to this work. km before establishing territories, but dispersal distances of several hundred kilometres are not uncommon (Mech 1970;Fritts 1982;Merrill & Mech 2000). Consequently, on regional and continental scales, grey wolves exhibit only weak patterns of differentiation by distance (Roy etal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiation of tundra/taiga and boreal coniferous forest wolves: genetics, coat colour and association with migratory caribou

et al. 2007

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The grey wolf has one of the largest historic distributions of any terrestrial mammal and can disperse over great distances across imposing topographic barriers. As a result, geographical distance and physical obstacles to dispersal may not be consequential factors in the evolutionary divergence of wolf populations. However, recent studies suggest ecological features can constrain gene flow. We tested whether wolf-prey associations in uninterrupted tundra and forested regions of Canada explained differences in migratory behaviour, genetics, and coat colour of wolves. Satellite-telemetry data demonstrated that tundra wolves (n = 19) migrate annually with caribou (« = 19) from denning areas in the tundra to wintering areas south of the treeline. In contrast, nearby boreal coniferous forest wolves are territorial and associated year round with resident prey. Spatially explicit analysis of 14 autosomal microsatellite loci (n = 404 individuals) found two genetic clusters corresponding to tundra vs. boreal coniferous forest wolves. A sex bias in gene flow was inferred based on higher levels of mtDNA divergence (Fg^ = 0.282, 0.028 and 0.033; P < 0.0001 for mitochondrial, nuclear autosomal and Y-chromosome markers, respectively). Phenotypic differentiation was substantial as 93% of wolves from tundra populations exhibited light colouration whereas only 38% of boreal coniferous forest wolves did (y} = 64.52, P < 0.0001). The sharp boundary representing this discontinuity was the southern limit of the caribou migration. These findings show that substantial genetic and phenotypic differentiation in highly mobile mammals can be caused by prey-habitat specialization rather than distance or topographic barriers. The presence of a distinct wolf ecotype in the tundra of North America highlights the need to preserve migratory populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiation of tundra/taiga and boreal coniferous forest wolves: genetics, coat colour and association with migratory caribou

et al. 2007

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“…Wolves are highly mobile and frequently move over long distances (Van Camp and Glukie 1979;Fritts 1983;Mech 1987). Some of the longest dispersal movements documented (460-555 km) occurred across a mixture of forest, farmland, and 4-lane highways in the upper Midwest (Mech et al 1995;Wydeven et al 1995 (Mech 1966).…”

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confidence: 99%

First Confirmed Occurrence of a Wolf, <em>Canis lupus</em>, South of the St. Lawrence River in Over 100 Years

Villemure

Jolicoeur

2004

Can Field Nat

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“…Although movements of ≥ 670 km from their homesites have been well documented in Wolves (Van Camp and Gluckie 1979;Ballard et al 1983;Fritts 1983;Ream et al 1991;Licht and Fritts 1994;Merrill and Mech 2000;Mech and Boitani 2003), this is the first documentation of a wild North American Wolf moving through areas of such high human densities. While Wolf 409 was not known to have any contact with nor was known to have been conditioned to humans as a pup, it was subjected to increasing levels of human activity as it dispersed south and east of Lake Michigan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Wolf, <em>Canis lupus</em>, Behavior in Areas of Frequent Human Activity

2007

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We report incidental observations of Wolves (Canis lupus) tolerating human activity in central Wisconsin. Three monitored packs raised pups in close proximity to varying levels of human activity. Wolf pups were raised <350m from rearing pens of the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana), which saw daily human activity. One pack used cornfields as rendezvous sites within 175 m of a maintenance shed visited regularly by workers. Another pack centered their activities along a well-traveled state highway using both the verge and the road center for activity. Aerial locations of 10 yearling and adult dispersing Wolves were plotted to evalute human densities in natal territories relative to dispersal and post-dispersal territories. Township densities (mean = 9.02 humans/km2, SE = 4.015) and residential densities (mean = 5.59 housing units/km2, SE = 2.12 ) in natal pack territories were significantly greater (P <.01) for dispersal and post-dispersal township densities (mean = 43.98 humans/km2, SE =7.37) and residence densities (mean = 23.12 housing units/km2, SE =3.49). Furthermore, a pup negotiated the densely populated region of northern Illinois and dispersed from central Wisconsin to east-central Indiana, a distance of at least 690 km. As Wolves live in closer proximity to humans, living in areas of higher township and residential densities, they can be expected to be more habituated to people, increasing the probability of human/Wolf conflicts.

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Record Dispersal by a Wolf from Minnesota

Cited by 105 publications

References 0 publications

Differentiation of tundra/taiga and boreal coniferous forest wolves: genetics, coat colour and association with migratory caribou

Differentiation of tundra/taiga and boreal coniferous forest wolves: genetics, coat colour and association with migratory caribou

First Confirmed Occurrence of a Wolf, <em>Canis lupus</em>, South of the St. Lawrence River in Over 100 Years

Wolf, <em>Canis lupus</em>, Behavior in Areas of Frequent Human Activity

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