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Two decades of non-invasive genetic monitoring of the grey wolves recolonizing the Alps support very limited dog introgression.

ABSTRACT: Potential hybridization between wolves and dogs has fueled the sensitive conservation and political debate underlying the recovery of the grey wolf throughout Europe. Here we provide the first genetic analysis of wolf-dog admixture in an area entirely recolonized, the northwestern Alps. As part of a long-term monitoring program, we performed genetic screening of thousands of non-invasive samples collected in Switzerland and adjacent territories since the return of the wolf in the mid-1990s. We identified a total of 115 individuals, only 2 of them showing significant signs of admixture stemming from past interbreeding with dogs, followed by backcrossing. This low rate of introgression (<2% accounting for all wolves ever detected over 1998-2017) parallels those from other European populations, especially in Western Europe (<7%). Despite potential hybridization with stray dogs, few founders and strong anthropogenic pressures, the genetic integrity of the Alpine population has remained intact throughout the entire recolonization process. In a context of widespread misinformation, this finding should reduce conflicts among the different actors involved and facilitate wolf conservation. Real-time genetic monitoring will be necessary to identify potential hybrids and support an effective management of this emblematic population.

SUBMITTER: Dufresnes C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6335406 | biostudies-other | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Two decades of non-invasive genetic monitoring of the grey wolves recolonizing the Alps support very limited dog introgression.

Dufresnes Christophe C Remollino Nadège N Stoffel Céline C Manz Ralph R Weber Jean-Marc JM Fumagalli Luca L

Scientific reports 20190116 1

Potential hybridization between wolves and dogs has fueled the sensitive conservation and political debate underlying the recovery of the grey wolf throughout Europe. Here we provide the first genetic analysis of wolf-dog admixture in an area entirely recolonized, the northwestern Alps. As part of a long-term monitoring program, we performed genetic screening of thousands of non-invasive samples collected in Switzerland and adjacent territories since the return of the wolf in the mid-1990s. We i ...[more]

PMID: 30651571

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Project description:Many populations of freshwater fishes are threatened with losses, and increasingly, the release of hatchery individuals is one strategy being implemented to support wild populations. However, stocking of hatchery individuals may pose long-term threats to wild populations, particularly if genetic interactions occur between wild and hatchery individuals. One highly prized sport fish that has been heavily stocked throughout its range is the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). In Nova Scotia, Canada, hatchery brook trout have been stocked since the early 1900s, and despite continued stocking efforts, populations have suffered declines in recent decades. Before this study, the genetic structure of brook trout populations in the province was unknown; however, given the potential negative consequences associated with hatchery stocking, it is possible that hatchery programs have adversely affected the genetic integrity of wild populations. To assess the influence of hatchery supplementation on wild populations, we genotyped wild brook trout from 12 river systems and hatchery brook trout from two major hatcheries using 100 microsatellite loci. Genetic analyses of wild trout revealed extensive population genetic structure among and within river systems and significant isolation-by-distance. Hatchery stocks were genetically distinct from wild populations, and most populations showed limited to no evidence of hatchery introgression (<5% hatchery ancestry). Only a single location had a substantial number of hatchery-derived trout and was located in the only river where a local strain is used for supplementation. The amount of hatchery stocking within a watershed did not influence the level of hatchery introgression. Neutral genetic structure of wild populations was influenced by geography with some influence of climate and stocking indices. Overall, our study suggests that long-term stocking has not significantly affected the genetic integrity of wild trout populations, highlighting the variable outcomes of stocking and the need to evaluate the consequences on a case-by-case basis.

Project description:Understanding how closely related wildlife species and their domesticated counterparts exchange or share parasites, or replace each other in parasite life cycles, is of great interest to veterinary and human public health, and wildlife ecology. Grey wolves (Canis lupus) host and spread endoparasites that can either directly infect canid conspecifics or their prey serving as intermediate hosts of indirectly transmitted species. The wolf recolonization of Central Europe represents an opportunity to study parasite transmission dynamics between wildlife and domestic species for cases when a definitive host returns after local extinction - a situation equivalent to a 'removal experiment'. Here we investigate whether the re-appearance of wolves has increased parasite pressure on hunting dogs - a group of companion animals of particular interest as they have a similar diet to wolves and flush wolf habitats when hunting. We compared prevalence (P) and species richness (SR) of helminths and the protozoan Sarcocystis to determine whether they were higher in hunting dogs from wolf areas (ndogs = 49) than a control area (ndogs = 29) without wolves. Of particular interest were S. grueneri and S. taeniata, known as 'wolf specialists'. Five helminth and 11 Sarcocystis species were identified, of which all helminths and eight Sarcocystis species were shared between dogs and wolves. Overall prevalence and species richness of helminths (P:38.5% vs. 24.1%; SRmean:0.4 vs. 0.3 species) and Sarcocystis (P:63.3% vs. 65.5%, SRmean:2.1 vs. 1.8 species) did not differ between study sites. However, hunting dogs were significantly more likely to be infected with S. grueneri in wolf areas (P:45.2% vs. 10.5%; p = 0.035). The findings suggest that wolves indirectly increase S. grueneri infection risk for hunting dogs since cervids are intermediate hosts and occasionally fed to dogs. Furthermore, a periodic anthelminthic treatment of hunting dogs may be an effective measure to control helminth infections regardless of wolf presence.

Dataset Information

Two decades of non-invasive genetic monitoring of the grey wolves recolonizing the Alps support very limited dog introgression.

Publications

Two decades of non-invasive genetic monitoring of the grey wolves recolonizing the Alps support very limited dog introgression.

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