Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the few large predators to survive the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions [1]. Nevertheless, wolves disappeared from northern North America in the Late Pleistocene, suggesting they were affected by factors that eliminated other species. Using skeletal mater...
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ftsmithonian:oai:repository.si.edu:10088/6465 2023-05-15T15:50:26+02:00 Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph Leonard, Jennifer A. Vila, Carles Fox-Dobbs, Kena Koch, Paul L. Wayne, Robert K. Van Valkenburgh, Blaire 2007 167912 bytes application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10088/6465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 en_US eng Current Biology Leonard, Jennifer A., Vila, Carles, Fox-Dobbs, Kena, Koch, Paul L., Wayne, Robert K., and Van Valkenburgh, Blaire. 2007. " Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph ." Current Biology . 17 (13):1146–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 0960-9822 http://hdl.handle.net/10088/6465 72631 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 Journal Article 2007 ftsmithonian https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 2020-09-09T18:30:10Z The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the few large predators to survive the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions [1]. Nevertheless, wolves disappeared from northern North America in the Late Pleistocene, suggesting they were affected by factors that eliminated other species. Using skeletal material collected from Pleistocene permafrost deposits of eastern Beringia, we present a comprehensive analysis of an extinct vertebrate by exploring genetic (mtDNA), morphologic, and isotopic (delta(13)C, delta(15)N) data to reveal the evolutionary relationships, as well as diet and feeding behavior, of ancient wolves. Remarkably, the Late Pleistocene wolves are genetically unique and morphologically distinct. None of the 16 mtDNA haplotypes recovered from a sample of 20 Pleistocene eastern-Beringian wolves was shared with any modern wolf, and instead they appear most closely related to Late Pleistocene wolves of Eurasia. Moreover, skull shape, tooth wear, and isotopic data suggest that eastern-Beringian wolves were specialized hunters and scavengers of extinct megafauna. Thus, a previously unrecognized, uniquely adapted, and genetically distinct wolf ecomorph suffered extinction in the Late Pleistocene, along with other megafauna. Consequently, the survival of the species in North America depended on the presence of more generalized forms elsewhere. NMNH NH-Vertebrate Zoology Peer-reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf permafrost Beringia Unknown Current Biology 17 13 1146 1150 |
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English |
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The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the few large predators to survive the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions [1]. Nevertheless, wolves disappeared from northern North America in the Late Pleistocene, suggesting they were affected by factors that eliminated other species. Using skeletal material collected from Pleistocene permafrost deposits of eastern Beringia, we present a comprehensive analysis of an extinct vertebrate by exploring genetic (mtDNA), morphologic, and isotopic (delta(13)C, delta(15)N) data to reveal the evolutionary relationships, as well as diet and feeding behavior, of ancient wolves. Remarkably, the Late Pleistocene wolves are genetically unique and morphologically distinct. None of the 16 mtDNA haplotypes recovered from a sample of 20 Pleistocene eastern-Beringian wolves was shared with any modern wolf, and instead they appear most closely related to Late Pleistocene wolves of Eurasia. Moreover, skull shape, tooth wear, and isotopic data suggest that eastern-Beringian wolves were specialized hunters and scavengers of extinct megafauna. Thus, a previously unrecognized, uniquely adapted, and genetically distinct wolf ecomorph suffered extinction in the Late Pleistocene, along with other megafauna. Consequently, the survival of the species in North America depended on the presence of more generalized forms elsewhere. NMNH NH-Vertebrate Zoology Peer-reviewed |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Leonard, Jennifer A. Vila, Carles Fox-Dobbs, Kena Koch, Paul L. Wayne, Robert K. Van Valkenburgh, Blaire |
spellingShingle |
Leonard, Jennifer A. Vila, Carles Fox-Dobbs, Kena Koch, Paul L. Wayne, Robert K. Van Valkenburgh, Blaire Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
author_facet |
Leonard, Jennifer A. Vila, Carles Fox-Dobbs, Kena Koch, Paul L. Wayne, Robert K. Van Valkenburgh, Blaire |
author_sort |
Leonard, Jennifer A. |
title |
Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
title_short |
Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
title_full |
Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
title_fullStr |
Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
title_full_unstemmed |
Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
title_sort |
megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10088/6465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf permafrost Beringia |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf permafrost Beringia |
op_relation |
Current Biology Leonard, Jennifer A., Vila, Carles, Fox-Dobbs, Kena, Koch, Paul L., Wayne, Robert K., and Van Valkenburgh, Blaire. 2007. " Megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of a specialized wolf ecomorph ." Current Biology . 17 (13):1146–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 0960-9822 http://hdl.handle.net/10088/6465 72631 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.072 |
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Current Biology |
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17 |
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13 |
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1146 |
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1150 |
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1766385374023647232 |