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Phylogeography of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in India.

ABSTRACT: The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is one of the most common and widely distributed carnivores in India but phylogeographic studies on the species have been limited across its range. Recent studies have observed absence of mitochondrial (mt) DNA diversity in European populations while some North African populations of golden jackal were found to carry gray wolf (Canis lupus lupaster) mtDNA lineages. In the present study, we sequenced 440 basepairs (bp) of control region (CR) and 412 bp of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene of mtDNA from 62 golden jackals sampled from India (n = 55), Israel (n = 2) and Bulgaria (n = 5), to obtain a total of eighteen haplotypes, comprising sixteen from India and one each from Israel and Bulgaria. Except for three previously described haplotypes represented by one cyt b and one CR haplotype both from India, and one CR haplotype from Bulgaria, all haplotypes identified in this study are new. Genetic diversity was high in golden jackals compared to that reported for other canids in India. Unlike the paraphyletic status of African conspecifics with the gray wolf, the Indian (and other Eurasian) golden jackal clustered in a distinct but shallow monophyletic clade, displaying no evidence of admixture with sympatric and related gray wolf and domestic dog clades in the region. Phylogeographic analyses indicated no clear pattern of genetic structuring of the golden jackal haplotypes and the median joining network revealed a star-shaped polytomy indicative of recent expansion of the species from India. Indian haplotypes were observed to be interior and thus ancestral compared to haplotypes from Europe and Israel, which were peripheral and hence more derived. Molecular tests for demographic expansion confirmed a recent event of expansion of golden jackals in the Indian subcontinent, which can be traced back ~ 37,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene. Our results suggest that golden jackals have had a potentially longer evolutionary history in India than in other parts of the world, although further sampling from Africa, the Middle East and south-east Asia is needed to test this hypothesis.

SUBMITTER: Yumnam B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4586146 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Phylogeography of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in India.

Yumnam Bibek B Negi Tripti T Maldonado Jesús E JE Fleischer Robert C RC Jhala Yadvendradev V YV

PloS one 20150928 9

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is one of the most common and widely distributed carnivores in India but phylogeographic studies on the species have been limited across its range. Recent studies have observed absence of mitochondrial (mt) DNA diversity in European populations while some North African populations of golden jackal were found to carry gray wolf (Canis lupus lupaster) mtDNA lineages. In the present study, we sequenced 440 basepairs (bp) of control region (CR) and 412 bp of cytochro ...[more]

PMID: 26414163

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Project description:BackgroundTwo coexisting species with similar ecological requirements avoid or reduce competition by changing the extent of their use of a given resource. Numerous coexistence mechanisms have been proposed, but species interactions can also be aggressive; thus, generally a subordinate species modifies its realized niche to limit the probability of direct encounters with the dominant species. We studied niche partitioning between two sympatric wild canids in north-eastern Italy: the golden jackal and the red fox, which, based on competition theories, have a high potential for competition. We considered four main niche dimensions: space, habitat, time, and diet.ResultsWe investigated three study areas monitoring target species populations from March 2017 to November 2018 using non-invasive monitoring techniques. Red fox presence was ascertained in every study area, while golden jackal presence was not ascertained in one study area, where we collected data regarding wolf presence. Considering the two target species, we observed partial diet partitioning based on prey size, with the golden jackal mainly feeding on wild ungulates and the red fox mainly feeding on small mammals. The two canids had an extensive temporal overlap along the diel cycle, having both predominant crepuscular and nocturnal activity patterns, but marked spatial partitioning and differential use of habitats. The golden jackal proved to be specialist concerning the habitat dimension, while the red fox resulted completely generalist: the former selected less human-modified habitats and avoided intensively cultivated lands, while the latter was present in all habitats, including intensively cultivated lands.ConclusionsThe observed partitioning might be due partially to some ecological adaptations (e.g. specialist vs. generalist use of resources) and specific behaviours (e.g. cooperative vs. solitary hunting) and partially to the avoidance response of the red fox aimed at reducing the probability of direct encounters with the golden jackal.

Dataset Information

Phylogeography of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in India.

Publications

Phylogeography of the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in India.

Similar Datasets

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