Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe
Abstract Local extinction and recolonization events can shape genetic structure of subdivided animal populations. The gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) was extirpated from most of Europe, but recently recolonized big part of its historical range. An exceptionally dynamic expansion of wolf population is obse...
Published in: | Scientific Reports |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w |
id |
crspringernat:10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crspringernat:10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w 2023-05-15T15:51:16+02:00 Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe Szewczyk, Maciej Nowak, Sabina Niedźwiecka, Natalia Hulva, Pavel Špinkytė-Bačkaitienė, Renata Demjanovičová, Klára Bolfíková, Barbora Černá Antal, Vladimír Fenchuk, Viktar Figura, Michał Tomczak, Patrycja Stachyra, Przemysław Stępniak, Kinga M. Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz Mysłajek, Robert W. Euronature, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wolves and Humans Foundation Forest Fund of the Polish Forest Holding Forest Fund of the Polish Forest Holding 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w en eng Springer Science and Business Media LLC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 CC-BY Scientific Reports volume 9, issue 1 ISSN 2045-2322 Multidisciplinary journal-article 2019 crspringernat https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w 2022-01-04T16:44:55Z Abstract Local extinction and recolonization events can shape genetic structure of subdivided animal populations. The gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) was extirpated from most of Europe, but recently recolonized big part of its historical range. An exceptionally dynamic expansion of wolf population is observed in the western part of the Great European Plain. Nonetheless, genetic consequences of this process have not yet been fully understood. We aimed to assess genetic diversity of this recently established wolf population in Western Poland (WPL), determine its origin and provide novel data regarding the population genetic structure of the grey wolf in Central Europe. We utilized both spatially explicit and non-explicit Bayesian clustering approaches, as well as a model-independent, multivariate method DAPC, to infer genetic structure in large dataset (881 identified individuals) of wolf microsatellite genotypes. To put the patterns observed in studied population into a broader biogeographic context we also analyzed a mtDNA control region fragment widely used in previous studies. In comparison to a source population, we found slightly reduced allelic richness and heterozygosity in the newly recolonized areas west of the Vistula river. We discovered relatively strong west-east structuring in lowland wolves, probably reflecting founder-flush and allele surfing during range expansion, resulting in clear distinction of WPL, eastern lowland and Carpathian genetic groups. Interestingly, wolves from recently recolonized mountainous areas (Sudetes Mts, SW Poland) clustered together with lowland, but not Carpathian wolf populations. We also identified an area in Central Poland that seems to be a melting pot of western, lowland eastern and Carpathian wolves. We conclude that the process of dynamic recolonization of Central European lowlands lead to the formation of a new, genetically distinct wolf population. Together with the settlement and establishment of packs in mountains by lowland wolves and vice versa, it suggests that demographic dynamics and possibly anthropogenic barriers rather than ecological factors (e.g. natal habitat-biased dispersal patterns) shape the current wolf genetic structure in Central Europe. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf Springer Nature (via Crossref) Scientific Reports 9 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Springer Nature (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
crspringernat |
language |
English |
topic |
Multidisciplinary |
spellingShingle |
Multidisciplinary Szewczyk, Maciej Nowak, Sabina Niedźwiecka, Natalia Hulva, Pavel Špinkytė-Bačkaitienė, Renata Demjanovičová, Klára Bolfíková, Barbora Černá Antal, Vladimír Fenchuk, Viktar Figura, Michał Tomczak, Patrycja Stachyra, Przemysław Stępniak, Kinga M. Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz Mysłajek, Robert W. Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
topic_facet |
Multidisciplinary |
description |
Abstract Local extinction and recolonization events can shape genetic structure of subdivided animal populations. The gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) was extirpated from most of Europe, but recently recolonized big part of its historical range. An exceptionally dynamic expansion of wolf population is observed in the western part of the Great European Plain. Nonetheless, genetic consequences of this process have not yet been fully understood. We aimed to assess genetic diversity of this recently established wolf population in Western Poland (WPL), determine its origin and provide novel data regarding the population genetic structure of the grey wolf in Central Europe. We utilized both spatially explicit and non-explicit Bayesian clustering approaches, as well as a model-independent, multivariate method DAPC, to infer genetic structure in large dataset (881 identified individuals) of wolf microsatellite genotypes. To put the patterns observed in studied population into a broader biogeographic context we also analyzed a mtDNA control region fragment widely used in previous studies. In comparison to a source population, we found slightly reduced allelic richness and heterozygosity in the newly recolonized areas west of the Vistula river. We discovered relatively strong west-east structuring in lowland wolves, probably reflecting founder-flush and allele surfing during range expansion, resulting in clear distinction of WPL, eastern lowland and Carpathian genetic groups. Interestingly, wolves from recently recolonized mountainous areas (Sudetes Mts, SW Poland) clustered together with lowland, but not Carpathian wolf populations. We also identified an area in Central Poland that seems to be a melting pot of western, lowland eastern and Carpathian wolves. We conclude that the process of dynamic recolonization of Central European lowlands lead to the formation of a new, genetically distinct wolf population. Together with the settlement and establishment of packs in mountains by lowland wolves and vice versa, it suggests that demographic dynamics and possibly anthropogenic barriers rather than ecological factors (e.g. natal habitat-biased dispersal patterns) shape the current wolf genetic structure in Central Europe. |
author2 |
Euronature, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wolves and Humans Foundation Forest Fund of the Polish Forest Holding Forest Fund of the Polish Forest Holding |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Szewczyk, Maciej Nowak, Sabina Niedźwiecka, Natalia Hulva, Pavel Špinkytė-Bačkaitienė, Renata Demjanovičová, Klára Bolfíková, Barbora Černá Antal, Vladimír Fenchuk, Viktar Figura, Michał Tomczak, Patrycja Stachyra, Przemysław Stępniak, Kinga M. Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz Mysłajek, Robert W. |
author_facet |
Szewczyk, Maciej Nowak, Sabina Niedźwiecka, Natalia Hulva, Pavel Špinkytė-Bačkaitienė, Renata Demjanovičová, Klára Bolfíková, Barbora Černá Antal, Vladimír Fenchuk, Viktar Figura, Michał Tomczak, Patrycja Stachyra, Przemysław Stępniak, Kinga M. Zwijacz-Kozica, Tomasz Mysłajek, Robert W. |
author_sort |
Szewczyk, Maciej |
title |
Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
title_short |
Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
title_full |
Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
title_fullStr |
Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in Central Europe |
title_sort |
dynamic range expansion leads to establishment of a new, genetically distinct wolf population in central europe |
publisher |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55273-w |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
Scientific Reports volume 9, issue 1 ISSN 2045-2322 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55273-w |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766386388784119808 |