Sedentary but not dispersing wolves<i>Canis lupus</i>recolonizing western Poland (2001–2016) conform to the predictions of a habitat suitability model

Nowak, Sabina; Mysłajek, Robert W.; Szewczyk, Maciej; Tomczak, Patrycja; Borowik, Tomasz; Jędrzejewska, Bogumiła

doi:10.1111/ddi.12621

Cited by 39 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…For the wolves emigrating from Poland, the natal territories remain unknown. We believe it is unlikely that most of these wolves were raised on MTAs, because MTAs did not play a critical role during wolf recolonization in Western Poland (Nowak & Mysłajek ; Nowak et al., ). While it is possible that natal habitat preferences play at least some role in the colonization process, additional research would be needed for conclusive evidence. The initial preference for active MTAs may at least partly be linked to the lower level of anthropogenic mortality on MTAs compared to other areas, including PAs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Military training areas facilitate the recolonization of wolves in Germany

Reinhardt

Kluth²,

Nowak

et al. 2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Wolves (Canis lupus) are currently showing a remarkable comeback in the highly fragmented cultural landscapes of Germany. We here show that wolf numbers increased exponentially between 2000 and 2015 with an annual increase of about 36%. We demonstrate that the first territories in each newly colonized region were established over long distances from the nearest known reproducing pack on active military training areas (MTAs). We show that MTAs, rather than protected areas, served as stepping‐stones for the recolonization of Germany facilitating subsequent spreading of wolf territories in the surrounding landscape. We did not find any significant difference between MTAs and protected areas with regard to habitat. One possible reason for the importance of MTAs may be their lower anthropogenic mortality rates compared to protected and other areas. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case where MTAs facilitate the recolonization of an endangered species across large areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Military training areas facilitate the recolonization of wolves in Germany

Reinhardt

Kluth²,

Nowak

et al. 2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…However, the Carpathian population lacks strong expansion trend, illustrated for example by the lack of reproduction in the Beskydy mountains (Kutal, Váňa, Suchomel, Chapron, & López‐Bao, ), in contrast to substantial expansion of the Central European population, illustrated by its establishment in western Poland (Nowak & Mysłajek, ; Nowak et al., ), northern Germany and northern region of Czech Republic, where a permanent pack (IDs 2–8) was ascertained for the first time since 1766 (Flousek et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wolves at the crossroad: Fission–fusion range biogeography in the Western Carpathians and Central Europe

Hulva

Bolfíková

Woznicová

et al. 2017

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Population fragmentation represents a leitmotif of conservation biology, but the impact of population reconnection is less well studied. The recent recolonization of large carnivores in Europe is a good model for studying this phenomenon. We aim to show novel data regarding distribution and population genetic structure of the grey wolf in Central Europe, a region considered a frequent crossroad and contact zone of different phylogeographic lineages, in a biogeographic context. Location Western Carpathians, Central Europe. Methods In concordance with the presumption of a highly mobile mammal, individual‐based Bayesian clustering and a posteriori definition of populations were used. Integrating the frameworks of landscape genetics and biogeography enabled the identification of transitions in population architecture. These patterns could be ascribed to isolating factors based on historical knowledge about species demography. Results Genetic differentiation mirrors population isolation and recognized environmental clusters, suggesting ecotypic variation. The east–west split in the Western Carpathians likely represents the signature of range fragmentation during bottlenecks in the 20th century. Mitochondrial variability is more depleted than nuclear variability, indicating founder‐flush demography. Microsatellites show finer‐scale differentiation in the Carpathians compared to the European plain, corresponding to topographic heterogeneity. Long‐range dispersal of a Carpathian wolf (ca. 300 km), the establishment of enclaves originated from the lowland population and admixture with mountain wolves were ascertained, indicating a population fraction producing large‐scale gene flow. Main conclusion Carpathian wolves are characterized by periods of population and range decline due to eradication, facilitating refugial role of alpine habitats and peripatric effects, followed by expansions and fusions probably caused by forest transition, population adaptation and efforts in conservation management. New occurrence and hybridization events predict further contacts between formerly isolated populations, with potential opposing effects of heterosis and outbreeding depression. Population recovery might be hindered due to isolation by environment and anthropogenic impacts.

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“…Moreover, when gene flow is known to occur between multiple wild populations (e.g. in Northeastern Alps and Carpathian Mountains [88][89][90] ), the number of reference populations and the optimal number of genetic clusters K should be modified accordingly, in order to avoid the identification of false wild x domestic hybrids (type I errors). Nonetheless, we also remind that such complex systems also require large parental populations to be used as reference.…”

Section: Scientific Reports |mentioning

confidence: 99%

A standardized approach to empirically define reliable assignment thresholds and appropriate management categories in deeply introgressed populations

Caniglia

Galaverni

Velli

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Anthropogenic hybridization is recognized as a major threat to the long-term survival of natural populations. While identifying F1 hybrids might be simple, the detection of older admixed individuals is far from trivial and it is still debated whether they should be targets of management. Examples of anthropogenic hybridization have been described between wolves and domestic dogs, with numerous cases detected in the Italian wolf population. After selecting appropriate wild and domestic reference populations, we used empirical and simulated 39-autosomal microsatellite genotypes, Bayesian assignment and performance analyses to develop a workflow to detect different levels of wolf x dog admixture. Membership proportions to the wild cluster (q iw ) and performance indexes identified two qthresholds which allowed to efficiently classify the analysed genotypes into three assignment classes: pure (with no or negligible domestic ancestry), older admixed (with a marginal domestic ancestry) and recent admixed (with a clearly detectable domestic ancestry) animals. Based on their potential to spread domestic variants, such classes were used to define three corresponding management categories: operational pure, introgressed and operational hybrid individuals. Our multiple-criteria approach can help wildlife managers and decision makers in more efficiently targeting the available resources for the long-term conservation of species threatened by anthropogenic hybridization.Over the last decades, thanks to the growing availability of genetic and genomic data, hybridization has been increasingly studied for its evolutionary and conservational implications on the long-term survival of the involved taxa 1-5 . However, while natural hybridization between closely related taxa is frequently acknowledged as an evolutionary process providing novel adaptive gene assemblages 6,7 , anthropogenic hybridization (AH), mainly caused by intentional admixture, translocations, habitat modifications and climate changes 8-10 , is globally considered a serious conservation threat to the genetic integrity of local populations, which might be compromised by gene introgression from alien or domesticated species [11][12][13][14][15][16] . Thus, the consequences of such human-mediated process should be continuously monitored to evaluate their real effects on the viability of natural populations 5,17 .However, to date, even in the era of genomics 4,18 , the concept of hybrid itself is rather fleeting and, consequently, legal status and management of hybrids are often poorly regulated by national and international laws, hampering the conservation of endangered species 12,14,[19][20][21][22]

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Sedentary but not dispersing wolvesCanis lupusrecolonizing western Poland (2001–2016) conform to the predictions of a habitat suitability model

Cited by 39 publications

References 97 publications

Military training areas facilitate the recolonization of wolves in Germany

Military training areas facilitate the recolonization of wolves in Germany

Wolves at the crossroad: Fission–fusion range biogeography in the Western Carpathians and Central Europe

A standardized approach to empirically define reliable assignment thresholds and appropriate management categories in deeply introgressed populations

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