TY - JOUR
T1 - Combining phylogenetic and demographic inferences to assess the origin of the genetic diversity in an isolated Wolf population
AU - Montana, Luca
AU - Caniglia, Romolo
AU - Galaverni, Marco
AU - Fabbri, Elena
AU - Ahmed, Atidje
AU - Bolfíková, Barbora Černa
AU - Czarnomska, Sylwia D.
AU - Galov, Ana
AU - Godinho, Raquel
AU - Hindrikson, Maris
AU - Hulva, Pavel
AU - Jȩdrzejewska, Bogumiła
AU - Jelenčič, Maja
AU - Kutal, Miroslav
AU - Saarma, Urmas
AU - Skrbinšek, Tomaž
AU - Randi, Ettore
PY - 2017/5/10
Y1 - 2017/5/10
N2 - The survival of isolated small populations is threatened by both demographic and genetic factors. Large carnivores declined for centuries in most of Europe due to habitat changes, overhunting of their natural prey and direct persecution. However, the current rewilding trends are driving many carnivore populations to expand again, possibly reverting the erosion of their genetic diversity. In this study we reassessed the extent and origin of the genetic variation of the Italian Wolf population, which is expanding after centuries of decline and isolation. We genotyped wolves from Italy and other nine populations at four mtDNA regions (control-region, ATP6, COIII and ND4) and 39 autosomal microsatellites. Results of phylo-genetic analyses and assignment procedures confirmed in the Italian wolves a second private mtDNA haplotype, which belongs to a haplogroup distributed mostly in southern Europe. Coalescent analyses showed that the unique mtDNA haplotypes in the Italian wolves likely originated during the late Pleistocene. ABC simulations concordantly showed that the extant Wolf populations in Italy and in south-western Europe started to be isolated and declined right after the last glacial maximum. Thus, the standing genetic variation in the Italian wolves principally results from the historical isolation south of the Alps.
AB - The survival of isolated small populations is threatened by both demographic and genetic factors. Large carnivores declined for centuries in most of Europe due to habitat changes, overhunting of their natural prey and direct persecution. However, the current rewilding trends are driving many carnivore populations to expand again, possibly reverting the erosion of their genetic diversity. In this study we reassessed the extent and origin of the genetic variation of the Italian Wolf population, which is expanding after centuries of decline and isolation. We genotyped wolves from Italy and other nine populations at four mtDNA regions (control-region, ATP6, COIII and ND4) and 39 autosomal microsatellites. Results of phylo-genetic analyses and assignment procedures confirmed in the Italian wolves a second private mtDNA haplotype, which belongs to a haplogroup distributed mostly in southern Europe. Coalescent analyses showed that the unique mtDNA haplotypes in the Italian wolves likely originated during the late Pleistocene. ABC simulations concordantly showed that the extant Wolf populations in Italy and in south-western Europe started to be isolated and declined right after the last glacial maximum. Thus, the standing genetic variation in the Italian wolves principally results from the historical isolation south of the Alps.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85018931772&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0176560
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0176560
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85018931772
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 12
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
IS - 5
M1 - e0176560
ER -