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Post by FWS on Jul 3, 2005 15:44:26 GMT -6
Biological Investigators Discover Wolf Ancestry Eastern Coyotes Are Becoming Coywolves By DAVID ZIMMERMAN, News Correspondent Saturday July 2, 2005 A handsome, stuffed, wild canine presides over the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's conference room on Portland Street in St. Johnsbury. Shot in Glover in 1998 by Eric Potter, the animal, a male, is a puzzler. With its gray, tan, black, and beige pelage, it looks like a coyote. But, as Fish and Wildlife biologist Thomas Decker points out, it weighed 72 pounds at death, and it's built like a wolf. "It's smaller than a wolf, and larger than a coyote," Decker said. "It's a hybrid" - a cross - "between a large, eastern coyote and a wolf." He said the animal's ancestry was confirmed by genetic testing. What it is not, he said, is a cross with a domestic dog. In fact, none of the coyotes tested in New England in recent years have turned out to carry dog genes, Decker said. In New Hampshire, Eric Orf, a biologist with the state Fish and Game Department, agrees with Decker, saying it is "wrong" to call the animals "coydogs," because they have no dog DNA. The "coywolf" is thus becoming a poster animal for issues that biologists, farmers, and sportsmen are trying to sort out: What are the "coyotes" now seen or killed in the Kingdom? And where do they come from? For answers, researchers are turning more and more to genetic studies, called DNA profiles. The answers that geneticists come up with will help shape wildlife management plans - and may be decisive in the question as to whether wolves should be reintroduced in New England. In point of fact, as hybrids, wolves already are here. Several years ago, for example, Donald "Rocky" Larocque of Lyndonville, who is a mechanic for the St. Johnsbury highway department, was hunting deer in East Barnet. It was late in the season - Thanksgiving, he recalled in a phone interview - and late in the day he encountered a large "coyote" and shot it. The animal, a female, weighed about 60 pounds, and appeared heavyset, more like a wolf than a coyote. Larocque said he showed it to Rodney Zwick, a professor at Lyndon State College, who was impressed enough to send the animal to a biologist in Kansas. Its DNA was tested, and it was "part wolf," Larocque said. Based on DNA tests, a picture is emerging on the relationship of coyotes and other wild canines in the Northeast, although the history is still quite fuzzy. In the Colonial era, there were few if any coyotes in New England. Wolves were here. But, strangely, because there are so few ancient wolf specimens still around in museums, DNA research to determine what kind of wolves they were cannot be done, according to a pair of biologists, Paul J. Wilson, a DNA profiler at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and Walter J. Jakubas, a biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The scant evidence, according to Jakubas, suggests they were not "timber wolves," or gray wolves (Canis lupus), as northern and western wolves now are called. Rather, he said they appear to have been similar to the red wolves (Canis rufus) found in Canada's Algonquin Provincial Park north of Toronto. Red wolves are also in the southeastern U.S., where a captive breeding project has been started to save them from extinction. The settlement of New England destroyed or drove off the resident wolves, according to the scenario developed by Jakubas and Wilson. In the last century, they speculate, coyotes replaced wolves, filling their empty biological niche. The researchers said coyotes appear much abler than wolves to live among people. What is unclear, is where the coyotes came from. "We don't know," Decker said. (Ok Bob, time to fess up ;D)Eastern coyotes are larger and heavier at 32 to 38 pounds than western coyotes at 22 to 30 pounds. The diet of eastern coyotes includes white-tailed deer, while western coyotes feed mostly on rabbits and small game. The coyote in the Fish and Wildlife conference room had four pounds of deer meat in his belly when he died. But, aside from diet, part of the reason for the eastern coyotes' larger size may be hybridization with wolves. The Fish and Wildlife specimen and Rocky Larocque's animal certainly have wolf genes. More tellingly, a study by Wilson and Jakubas shows that of 100 coyotes collected in Maine, 22 had half or more wolf ancestry - and one was 89 percent wolf. Over half of the specimens had eastern coyote ancestry, but only 4 percent were mostly descended from western coyotes (Canis latrans). "The [introduction] of eastern Canadian wolf genes into eastwardly expanding coyotes could have provided a composite genome [Canis latrans X lycaon] that facilitated selection of animals with a larger body size ... that may be more adept at preying on deer than smaller western coyotes," Wilson and Jakubas report in their study. The study, co-written with Shevenell Mullen of the University of Maine, is awaiting publication. In plain language, Wilson said his work suggests the large, eastern coyotes in Canada are hybrids of the smaller western coyotes and wolves that met and mated decades ago as the coyotes moved toward New England from their earlier western ranges. The animals, he said, may become amplified in size by further crossings between the now-larger eastern coyotes and Canadian wolves. Vermont's Tom Decker said he wants to see more evidence published to support that view. However, he said, collecting evidence is difficult since no systematic genetic sampling of the state's coyotes has been done. The gaps may soon be filled. Biologist Roland Kays, who is curator of the New York State Museum in Albany, said he and his associates are planning a major investigation to supplement the study by Wilson and Jakubas of coyotes from Maine. Their work "opens up a lot of new questions," Kays said. Between 100 and 1,000 animals from throughout New York and New England will need to be studied to sort out their backgrounds, he said. Kays and his associates would like to get samples, particularly whole animals, along with information on where they were from. He can be reached for further information at 518-486-2005. The outcome of further studies could discourage wildlife officials and conservationists who have talked about reintroducing wolves to the Northeast, Decker said. The usual goal of reintroduction efforts is to preserve true species, not create more hybrids. The other side of the reintroduction coin is that hybrids may be better suited than purebred wolves to survive in 21st century New England. "Once you get that coyote-and-wolf hybrid," Paul Wilson said, "it is a very adaptable animal." www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/local_news/story/fef373e9d
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Post by z on Jul 3, 2005 17:12:45 GMT -6
"OK Bob, Time to fess up ;D"....... .....LOL!
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Post by trappnman on Jul 3, 2005 17:57:03 GMT -6
You all know my addition to "science"
Research solves so many ills...
But I think this wolf/coyote hybred to be bogus.
To have any significant inpact on dna, the hybreds would have to be occuring each year in bigger and bigger numbers.
Its a big coyote. Accept it.
Dig deep enough- and a certain % of coyote dna will be similar to wolf dna- no shock there.
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Post by blakcoyote on Jul 3, 2005 18:58:27 GMT -6
I literally cringe,when I see so called studies like this.For the reason that it may be used by anti's somehow to further regulate trapping and hunting,if nothing else to atleast sway those on the fence to there side,an example would be,maybe calling coyotes, wolf hybrids,and everyone wants to save the wolf,well not everyone,but you know what I mean.
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Post by bobwendt on Jul 3, 2005 19:16:43 GMT -6
heck, our indiana coyotes have been wolfy for about as long as they have been here. They could have just asked me and saved a lot of research.
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Post by foxtrapperwoman on Jul 3, 2005 19:27:07 GMT -6
But there is definatly something different about these northeast yotes, take the short ears as an example. Wolves have short ears. The eastern yotes have all these color phases and they show up alot, so is it with wolves. Then the fur color of the typical greyish yotes looks much like a typical grey wolf's coloration.
I will still call them yotes and brush wolves though. I don't know how they test the DNA, I read before that you can't tell a dog and wolf apart by dna. Why not with yotes, they are all genus canis. Maybe these scientists have mapped the DNA out in the last few years and can now tell a difference.
I personally think the brush wolf is a distinct subspecies of yote or wolf that has always been around, just that most were killed off and the remainder went to whatever fringes they could find, then later bred with migrating western yotes. Perhaps the wolfiness is a dominant gene and cancels out the smaller size and bigger ears,etc, of the western yote crossbreeding. But we may never know the truth, taxidermy wasn't a big thing in the 1700's and early 1800's during the time of the decimation of whatever wolf/yote animal was here. What was, was very crude. Bones could provide some clues if they could find any, but 100 full skulls and better yet 100 full skeletons would really help. They could establish a hypothesis based on that alot better, as to what was here back then.
I do know that from reading about wolves on the prairies that they must have been a distinct subspecies too, they seemed smaller than the northern timbers, and alot of white ones. Look at 3-Toes for an example. Only weighed 60 something pounds or something, and a white wolf. It seems they may have all been killed off though.
You also have confusing terms from the settlers, brush wolf is one, and then there is prairie wolf, which is a coyote. Coyotes were even called wolves until not too long ago, on the fur market.
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Post by trappnman on Jul 4, 2005 6:16:35 GMT -6
here- the term brush wolf was used on northern coyotes. "coyotes" were out on the praire, brush wolfs were in the woods.
Who knows how many subspecies there are -look at whitetails- has to be 30 recgonised subspecies.
I've seen dozs of Zags pictures- and his coyotes look like my coyotes. Same ears, eyes, etc. Its not that we don't HAVE the color variations here- its just that they aren't as prevelant.
Just traits of subspecies and recessive genes.
Did coytoes breed with wolves eons ago- probably- but this doesn't mean todays coyotes have any significant wold genes.
Everyone points out the size difference- look at coon from VA to PA to MN- the average weights vary by 10+. Same with deer- a big buck in the south is 130- 150 lbs. Here every year, the big buck contests are won by 200+ deer- usually in the 250-280 catagory in dressed weight.
Doesn't mean the deer here are crossed with moose...even though I suspect some dna is similar.
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Post by woody on Jul 4, 2005 8:25:47 GMT -6
Ok! some one correct me if I am wrong ;D But I was told in college that Hy-breds can't reproduce now if what I was told by a wildlife management professor is right, how can there still be coywolfs and not be any wolfs in the area? They stated in there report that there are Red Wolfs in New Enland, could it be that they are adapting better and that is what they are calling coyotes? Here in Ohio, we have good sized yotes and they have a wide range of colors. I have taken the typical grey, blondes, and mixed colored ones. I have 2 diffent color phases hanging in the basement and a grey one in the freezer waiting to be shipped to a tanner. I have to agree with Steve on this one they are Ki-yutes. and I believe the Eastern Ki-yutes came from Canada not out of the west like everyone says. woody
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Post by trappnman on Jul 4, 2005 8:37:51 GMT -6
some can, some can't. Mules are best known example of not being able to reproduce. Splake trout are another (brookies and brown cross).
but others can. CoyDogs for example- can certainly reproduce. Coydogs fasinate me- that is, the facts about them do. So- if you've read this before pass on by, if not- you might find it interesting.
Coyotes, male and female only can breed once a year, in the spring. The females come into a once yearly season and this triggers the males into being able ot respond and breed. Coyotes are pair bonding animals, and both feed and care for pups.
Coydogs are interesting. They also come into season once a year, but in early fall. Coydogs do not pair bond and the males do not help tend and feed pups.
Some people claim that their areas have many, many coyote/dog crosses. Not so true when the facts are known. To beging with- unless the crosses occur regularly- any cyodog lines soon dies out and are for al lpracitcal puposes pure dog once again. Since they come into seaosn only in the fall- its impossible for a pure coyote to breed back to them- therefore, coydogs can only breed with another coydog or with a pure dog. In either case, further diluting the coyote blood. also- since breeding takes place in early fall- pups are born during early winter- the worst possible time to care for and raise pups- esp alone w/o the males help.
So- any coydog crosses soon die out. Perhaps in the extreme south, pups can live out the winter- but still suffer the natural breeding limitations of the coydog- so once again continuing the line is near impossible.
Its more fun to think fiction than fact many times, and I think the predominance of "wolf" blood in eastern coyotes is fiction.
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Post by Stef on Jul 4, 2005 11:07:22 GMT -6
couple years ago... our government sent 16 wolf tongues who were killed by trappers in real wolf country in Québec (Reserve des Laurentides, Passes dangeureuses etc...). These tongues were sent for DNA testing in california to Dr ?... (don't remember his name). This Dr, is a specialist in North america in Coyote DNA.
From trappers and biologist who seen the animals sent (tongues) .... All look like timber wolves... "Large feet, heavy thick legs fur, large mouth etc..." Our governement is very scared to loose our real "pure" timber wolves. Coyotes are almost everywhere now.
Anyway... on 16 wolf tongues... The result is that 7 wolves on 16 had coyotes genetic in them.
This was done +10 years ago... I'm sure the result should be different if they do it again.
Stef
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Post by Dusty on Jul 4, 2005 11:19:20 GMT -6
Anything by Paul Wilson is suspect. He has an agenda, and, in my opinion, is willing to keep looking until he finds what he wants to find. Wolves seem to attract that sort of "biologist."
take the short ears as an example. Wolves have short ears.
No, they have longer fur.
The eastern yotes have all these color phases and they show up alot, so is it with wolves. Then the fur color of the typical greyish yotes looks much like a typical grey wolf's coloration.
There's no such thing as a "typical" wolf color. They come in every shade from black to white, and packs change predominant colors over the years.
"Coyote" or "brush wolf" are just common names and don't have anything to do with what the critter really is.
I don't know enough about canid genetics to intelligently comment on telling them apart at the molecular level, but I do know a bit about population genetics.
If they are hybrids, where's the source population? You don't get large-percentage hybrids without a large percentage of your population being the parents! If these are hybrids, why aren't "normal" little coyotes and "normal" wolves showing up in traps? The "eastern coyote-wolf hybrid" should be about 1/3 of your catch (unless the '89% wolf' hybrid is usual - then it should be something like 8 wolves, one coyote, and one hybrid average for every 10 you catch). You cannot have a mix of something without having the ingredients. You cannot sustain a contact zone without having contact. With a mix of species that produce fertile interbreeding hybrids, you'd expect an integrade of phenetic types. Critters that are 89% wolf should look more like a wolf (which, again, must be present) than critters that are 89% coyote (which also must be present).
I'm ass-deep in wolves with a healthy coyote population. I catch em both in the same places. I see lots of both from the air. I'm yet to see anything that was at all ambiguous - we have little bitty coyotes and great big wolves, and they don't look a heck of a lot like each other. Why aren't they hybridizing here?
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Post by trappnman on Jul 4, 2005 11:53:51 GMT -6
Very well put and what I was skirting on the edges trying to say.
Doesn't hybredization (if such a word exists LOL) eventually lead to the demise of one species- aka the black duck/ mallard, the goldenwinged warbler and the Blue winged, etc?
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Post by BK on Jul 4, 2005 19:49:53 GMT -6
So Dusty do you have fisher up there? Doc, do you agree it's the age of the canines being bred that causes bigger litters? It's hard for me fathom female canines in heat that don't get bred.
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Post by BIG GUY on Jul 4, 2005 20:53:07 GMT -6
Once again, we will become our own worst enemy. Wolves are a protected species. Keep calling coyotes "wolves" and before long you won't be able to trap them. The anti's eat this up and will be more than happy to use this against us. I was given some advise once , " Sometimes you should just do what you have to do and keep your mouth shut!" :-XI've found this to be very sound advise.
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Post by Dusty on Jul 4, 2005 22:54:56 GMT -6
BK: There are three records of fisher from the state, all from SE AK, and probably all "traveling salesmen." It is a mustelid-dominated place - least weasels, ermine, mink, marten, otter, and wolverine on my line. Sea otters offshore.
BG: This is one area where I think we're safe. I get to see, either directly or not, most of the "Oh My God I Just Saw A ...." reports from around the area. The public, generally, has no idea what the hell they're looking at. Several "bodies" a year that all turn into skinned bears, one bear at -40 that looked suspicously like a Hefty bag to me, etc., etc., etc. Biologists and managers, at least in this state, don't put a hell of a lot of stock into public misconceptions.
In the other hand, I've had the public point out some really cool things - those SE AK fisher came from marten trappers, Mtn. lions in SE AK from wolf trappers, a couple rare shrews/mice from cat owners, and strange bats, to name a few. These were mostly from people who knew they'd found something unusual but had no idea it was _that_ unusual. Most were trappes, BTW.
If people are _really_ seeing something strange, they tend to produce carcasses. The bullshitters hire Paul Wilson and Gordon Haber (AK's FoA self-proclaimed biologist) and try to cause a stir. Maybe pass around a petition. If that's enough to get a reaction in your state, I suggest you call your representatives and remind them who they work for!
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Post by Zagman on Jul 5, 2005 9:52:31 GMT -6
Ah, research....like the internet....if you look hard enough, you can find opinions to substantiate your own existing beliefs or debunk them. Yes, our coyotes here, overall ARE larger than their cousins......anywhere. The bulk of the coyotes I catch LOOK like coyotes, though for the most part, they are an overall DARKER color than their sterotypical western, lighter, silver/gray cousins. However, quite of few of them are BIG in size AND they just look "wolf-like". I have no doubt that there is wolf DNA mixed into these animals. Adaptations in animals, me thinks, takes more than a couple decades to transpire. And, if we are thinking the "coyotes" migrated here, did they cross the border of the original 13 colonies and just grow bigger, from an evolutionary standpoint, overnight? Our northern exposure and temperatures are similar to those along the Canadian Border, yet you dont see guys in Northern Idaho or Montana or North Dakota or Minnesota knocking down 60#-plus "coyotes". Also, how do you explain the color variations here? Especially the red color phase? Much more prevalent here in the Northeast, and not a coincidence, me thinks, since DNA tests have PROVEN (if you believe it) that our coyotes have both Red Wolf and Algonquin Wolf blood in them (It is my understanding that the Algonquin wolf is a small, coyote-sized animal that is often red in color, just like the Red Wolf). In a court of law, with my hand on The Bible, if asked do I believe our coyotes have some wolf blood in them, I'd have to say YES, based on the evidence I have seen. Certainly not saying there are coyotes and wolves running around still breeding........I just don't believe an animal can nearly double in size in a couple of decades due to geography.......I think they got a little help. Zagman
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Post by bobwendt on Jul 5, 2005 10:08:59 GMT -6
I agree totally with you zag, just didn`t have the energy to type it. I`ve trapped them west and east, and they aren`t the same critter, anymore than a dog and coyote are. Big northern coon and tiny southern coon are thesame. "coyotes" not the same .
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Post by Iowa Badger on Jul 5, 2005 11:00:28 GMT -6
The "red wolf" of about 15 years ago was supposed to be a coyote/wolf cross. I think they where in the SE somewhere. That 'fad' kinda died out, no pun intended
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Post by Dusty on Jul 5, 2005 12:03:57 GMT -6
Ah, research....like the internet....if you look hard enough, you can find opinions to substantiate your own existing beliefs or debunk them.
I wouldn't go quite that far, but you can sure ignore a hell of a lot of evidence. You won't get published in the "real" journals if you do, but there are a LOT of fringe "scientific" publications about wolves and Elvis and nuts like that, and it sure doesn't seem to hurt their money flow any.
Anything you get published in a peer-review journal, BTW, isn't opinion - it's an interpretation of an observable and repeatable phenomenon. You could do the same thing and get the same results, even though you might come to a different conclusion (which would, of course, be misinterpreted by your local TV station!).
I searched a bit for canid hybridization research. There's a small bit of it out there, but nothing "real" mentioning NE US wolves. I'll tag a couple abstracts to the bottom of this. The caveat: Bob Wayne (R. K) is a "freezer miner" - I've packaged a lot of the wolf tissue cited in his work - and wouldn't know a wolf if it bit him on the ass.
I'm speaking from left field here - I've never seen one of the damn things, much less got a chance to look at 100 skulls beside 100 wolf skulls and 100 coyote skulls (BTW, I'm in a position to get them archived in a museum if anyone would like to start sending skulls....). I wouldn't even know where to glue the transmitter to a DNA - that ain't my side of the fence. I do know a bit about science and population genetics, though, and those things don't add up.
Of course there's wolf DNA in em! Nobody will argue that wolves and coyotes are recently diverged and share most of their DNA. They probably even interbreed every now and then - I just don't see evidence to support it happening often there. Hell, a wolf and a Chihuahua are the SAME species! Does your beagle look "wolf-like"? By definition, it should because it IS a wolf.
Red coyotes - little bitty suckers, with not much hair - seem fairly common in Alabama.
I'd come closer to believing they have Algonquin Wolf and/or Red Wolf when and if someone can produce a - just one - mitochondrial sequence for EITHER of those species that's agreed - in the peer reviewed literature - to be "pure". You can't say something is part of something else when you'd not be able to recognize the something else!
My wild-assed guess, while we're here: not much has changed in the last couple hundred years. There have always been these things - whatever they are. Maybe a little bigger, a little smaller, darker, lighter, whatever. They - just like everything else - took a beating as people moved in, and now - just like deer, etc. - "they're" - or something very much like "them" - is becoming more common. You could blame that on a stable hybrid population, which doesn't need much gene flow - maybe none - from the parent species. Left alone long enough, a stable hybrid will likely become distinct enough to become a species - ie, "red wolf". Yea, I just made that up. Now returning you to your regularly scheduled skeptic....
Coyotes are a plastic species. Phenotypic changes are NOT evolution; it was already programmed in, they're just expressing it.
I hope I'm not coming across too ass-like - I really don't know what's going on there! I do know that you can't get hybrids without having parents, and I can't find any evidence to suggest that they are present. Here's the science:
Widespread occurrence of a domestic dog mitochondrial DNA haplotype in southeastern US coyotes.
Adams JR, Leonard JA, Waits LP.
Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Room 105, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1136, USA.
Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region from 112 southeastern US coyotes (Canis latrans) revealed 12 individuals with a haplotype closely related to those in domestic dogs. Phylogenetic analyses grouped this new haplotype in the dog/grey wolf (Canis familiaris/Canis lupus) clade with 98% bootstrap support. These results demonstrate that a male coyote hybridized with a female dog, and female hybrid offspring successfully integrated into the coyote population. The widespread distribution of this haplotype from Florida to West Virginia suggests that the hybridization event occurred long ago before the southeastern USA was colonized by coyotes. However, it could have occurred in the southeastern USA before the main front of coyotes arrived in the area between male coyotes released for sport and a local domestic dog. The introgression of domestic dog genes into the southeastern coyote population does not appear to have substantially affected the coyote's genetic, morphological, or behavioural integrity. However, our results suggest that, contrary to previous reports, hybridization can occur between domestic and wild canids, even when the latter is relatively abundant. Therefore, hybridization may be a greater threat to the persistence of wild canid populations than previously thought.
Patterns of differentiation and hybridization in North American wolflike canids, revealed by analysis of microsatellite loci.
Roy MS, Geffen E, Smith D, Ostrander EA, Wayne RK.
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom.
Genetic divergence and gene flow among closely related populations are difficult to measure because mutation rates of most nuclear loci are so low that new mutations have not had sufficient time to appear and become fixed. Microsatellite loci are repeat arrays of simple sequences that have high mutation rates and are abundant in the eukaryotic genome. Large population samples can be screened for variation by using the polymerase chain reaction and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to separate alleles. We analyzed 10 microsatellite loci to quantify genetic differentiation and hybridization in three species of North American wolflike canids. We expected to find a pattern of genetic differentiation by distance to exist among wolflike canid populations, because of the finite dispersal distances of individuals. Moreover, we predicted that, because wolflike canids are highly mobile, hybrid zones may be more extensive and show substantial changes in allele frequency, relative to nonhybridizing populations. We demonstrate that wolves and coyotes do not show a pattern of genetic differentiation by distance. Genetic subdivision in coyotes, as measured by theta and Gst, is not significantly different from zero, reflecting persistent gene flow among newly established populations. However, gray wolves show significant subdivision that may be either due to drift in past Ice Age refugia populations or a result of other causes. Finally, in areas where gray wolves and coyotes hybridize, allele frequencies of gray wolves are affected, but those of coyotes are not. Past hybridization between the two species in the south-central United States may account for the origin of the red wolf.
Using faecal DNA sampling and GIS to monitor hybridization between red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans).
Adams JR, Kelly BT, Waits LP.
Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1136, USA.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Red Wolf Recovery Program recognizes hybridization with coyotes as the primary threat to red wolf recovery. Efforts to curb or stop hybridization are hampered in two ways. First, hybrid individuals are difficult to identify based solely on morphology. Second, managers need to effectively search 6000 km(2) for the presence of coyotes and hybrids. We develop a noninvasive method to screen large geographical areas for coyotes and hybrids with maternal coyote ancestry by combining mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis of faeces (scat) and geographic information system (GIS) technology. This method was implemented on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (1000 km(2)) in northeastern North Carolina. A total of 956 scats were collected in the spring of 2000 and 2001 and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates were recorded. Seventy-five percent of the scats were assigned to species and five coyote/hybrid scats were detected. Placement of scat location coordinates on a map of the experimental population area revealed that four of the coyote/hybrid scats were detected within the home ranges of sterilized hybrids. The other coyote/hybrid scat indicated the presence of a previously unknown individual. We suggest this method be expanded to include more of the experimental population area and be optimized for use with nuclear markers to improve detection of hybrid and back-crossed individuals.
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Post by bobwendt on Jul 5, 2005 12:20:29 GMT -6
one thing you are not considering is the infusion of domestic dog blood into our eastern coyotes, something relatively new in the big scheme, mostly in the last 30 years and for sure the last couple hundred. southern "coyotes" (alabama/ms etc) have even lost the spring whelping only ,of western types. Back when I was in ranch fox the russians did quite a bit of research in ranch fox production. They found that the more gentle (i.e. "domesticatable") foxes ,after as few as 3 generations( by selectivly saving the "tamest" as breeders), begin to cycle and breed every 6 months , like domestic dogs, rather than once a year as in wild stock. Theoretically , as tman stated, dog blood should breed out, but funny things happen in nature and in courts of law. Who knows, but I still believe what we have in the east is not the standard wyoming/texas or az. coyote but just bigger and odd color. I personally have witnessed december whelping of pups in indiana, and by golly they didn`t appear doggy looking. Also personally witnessed a plain old dog tied to a pure looking coyoe in the field. Like wise caught plain old dogs running with coyote packs, yet obviously wild as crapping out hair, bone etc, typical coyote poop. I don`t know what the critters we have here are, I just know thety don`t hardly resemble at all what I catch in the west other than 4 legs and 2 eyes ets. But heck, even a possum has 4 legs and 2 eyes, come to think of it, so do I
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