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The genetic legacy of extirpation and re-colonization in Vancouver Island wolves

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Abstract

Hybridization between wild and domestic species is of conservation concern because it can result in the loss of adaptations and/or disappearance of a distinct taxon. Wolves from Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Canada), have been subject to several eradication campaigns during the twentieth century and were considered virtually extirpated between 1950 and 1970. In this study, we use control region mitochondrial DNA sequences and 13 autosomal microsatellite loci to characterize Vancouver Island wolves as well as dogs from British Columbia. We observe a turnover in the haplotypes of wolves sampled before and after the 1950–1970 period, when there was no permanent wolf population on the island, supporting the probable local extinction of wolves on Vancouver Island during this time, followed by re-colonization of the island by wolves from mainland British Columbia. In addition, we report the presence of a domestic dog mtDNA haplotype in three individuals eliminated in 1986 that were morphologically identified as wolves. Here we show that Vancouver Island wolves were also identified as wolves based on autosomal microsatellite data. We attribute the hybridization event to the episodically small size of this population during the re-colonization event. Our results demonstrate that at least one female hybrid offspring, resulting from a cross of a male wolf and a female dog or a female hybrid pet with dog mtDNA, successfully introgressed into the wolf population. No dog mtDNA has been previously reported in a population of wild wolves. Genetic data show that Vancouver Island wolves are distinct from dogs and thus should be recognized as a population of wild wolves. We suggest that the introgression took place due to the Allee effect, specifically a lack of mates when population size was low. Our findings exemplify how small populations are at risk of hybridization.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Heather Bryan for sharing dog samples with us and to Helen Schwantje of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment for providing contemporary wolf samples. We thank Rex Kenner of the University of British Columbia Cowan Vertebrate Museum and Jim Cosgrove from the Royal British Columbia Museum for access to samples in collections. We are also thankful to Carles Vilà and Robert K. Wayne for a critical reading of the manuscript. Funding was provided by the European Union Marie Curie Fellowship programme, the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship programme, the National Science Foundation, USA (OPP-0352634), the Spanish Ministry of Education, the Swedish Research Council, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation and World Wildlife Fund—Canada. The Center for Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, USA, provided logistical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden

    Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes & Jennifer A. Leonard

  2. Environmental Studies Department, University of California, 405 ISB. 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Chris T. Darimont

  3. Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 77, Denny Island, BC, V0T 1B0, Canada

    Chris T. Darimont & Paul C. Paquet

  4. Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Paul C. Paquet

  5. Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20008-0551, USA

    Jennifer A. Leonard

  6. Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Avd. Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Jennifer A. Leonard

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  1. Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes
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  2. Chris T. Darimont
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Correspondence to Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes.

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Muñoz-Fuentes, V., Darimont, C.T., Paquet, P.C. et al. The genetic legacy of extirpation and re-colonization in Vancouver Island wolves. Conserv Genet 11, 547–556 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-9974-1

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