Abstract:
The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most widely distributed mammals in which a variety of distinct populations have been described. However, given their currently fragmented distribution and recent history of human-induced population decline, little is known about the events that led to their differentiation. Based on the analysis of whole canid genomes, we examined the divergence times between Southern European wolf populations and their ancient demographic history. We found that all present-day Eurasian wolves share a common ancestor ca 36 000 years ago, supporting the hypothesis that all extant wolves derive from a single population that subsequently expanded after the Last Glacial Maximum. We also estimated that the currently isolated European populations of the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and the Dinarics-Balkans diverged very closely in time, ca 10 500 years ago, and maintained negligible gene flow ever since. This indicates that the current genetic and morphological distinctiveness of Iberian and Italian wolves can be attributed to their isolation dating back to the end of the Pleistocene, predating the recent human-induced extinction of wolves in Central Europe by several millennia.
摘要:
灰狼(Canis狼疮)是分布最广泛的哺乳动物之一,其中已经描述了各种不同的种群。然而,鉴于它们目前分散的分布和最近人类引起的人口减少的历史,对导致它们分化的事件知之甚少。基于对整个犬科动物基因组的分析,我们研究了南欧狼种群与其古代人口历史之间的分歧时间。我们发现,所有今天的欧亚狼都有一个共同的祖先,大约在36000年前,支持以下假设:所有现存的狼都来自单个种群,该种群随后在最后一次冰川最大值之后扩大。我们还估计,目前孤立的伊比利亚半岛欧洲人口,意大利和Dinarics-Balkans在时间上分歧非常密切,大约10500年前,从那以后保持着微不足道的基因流动。这表明,伊比利亚和意大利狼目前的遗传和形态独特性可以归因于它们的隔离可追溯到更新世末期,早于最近人类导致的中欧狼灭绝数千年。