Dataset Information

Rediscovery of Red Wolf Ghost Alleles in a Canid Population Along the American Gulf Coast.

ABSTRACT: Rediscovering species once thought to be extinct or on the edge of extinction is rare. Red wolves have been extinct along the American Gulf Coast since 1980, with their last populations found in coastal Louisiana and Texas. We report the rediscovery of red wolf ghost alleles in a canid population on Galveston Island, Texas. We analyzed over 7000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 60 canid representatives from all legally recognized North American Canis species and two phenotypically ambiguous canids from Galveston Island. We found notably high Bayesian cluster assignments of the Galveston canids to captive red wolves with extensive sharing of red wolf private alleles. Today, the only known extant wild red wolves persist in a reintroduced population in North Carolina, which is dwindling amongst political and taxonomic controversy. Our rediscovery of red wolf ancestry after almost 40 years introduces both positive opportunities for additional conservation action and difficult policy challenges.

SUBMITTER: Heppenheimer E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6315914 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rediscovery of Red Wolf Ghost Alleles in a Canid Population Along the American Gulf Coast.

Heppenheimer Elizabeth E Brzeski Kristin E KE Wooten Ron R Waddell William W Rutledge Linda Y LY Chamberlain Michael J MJ Stahler Daniel R DR Hinton Joseph W JW vonHoldt Bridgett M BM

Genes 20181210 12

Rediscovering species once thought to be extinct or on the edge of extinction is rare. Red wolves have been extinct along the American Gulf Coast since 1980, with their last populations found in coastal Louisiana and Texas. We report the rediscovery of red wolf ghost alleles in a canid population on Galveston Island, Texas. We analyzed over 7000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 60 canid representatives from all legally recognized North American <i>Canis</i> species and two phenotypicall ...[more]

PMID: 30544757

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Dataset Information

Rediscovery of Red Wolf Ghost Alleles in a Canid Population Along the American Gulf Coast.

Publications

Rediscovery of Red Wolf Ghost Alleles in a Canid Population Along the American Gulf Coast.

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