DNA profiles of the eastern Canadian wolf and the red wolf provide evidence for a common evolutionary history independent of the gray wolf

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 2156-2166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J Wilson ◽  
Sonya Grewal ◽  
Ian D Lawford ◽  
Jennifer NM Heal ◽  
Angela G Granacki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Material ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Original Species ◽  
Dna Profiles ◽  
Microsatellite Alleles ◽  
Red Wolves

The origin and taxonomy of the red wolf (Canis rufus) have been the subject of considerable debate and it has been suggested that this taxon was recently formed as a result of hybridization between the coyote and gray wolf. Like the red wolf, the eastern Canadian wolf has been characterized as a small "deer-eating" wolf that hybridizes with coyotes (Canis latrans). While studying the population of eastern Canadian wolves in Algonquin Provincial Park we recognized similarities to the red wolf, based on DNA profiles at 8 microsatellite loci. We examined whether this relationship was due to similar levels of introgressed coyote genetic material by comparing the microsatellite alleles with those of other North American populations of wolves and coyotes. These analyses indicated that it was not coyote genetic material which led to the close genetic affinity between red wolves and eastern Canadian wolves. We then examined the control region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and confirmed the presence of coyote sequences in both. However, we also found sequences in both that diverged by 150 000 - 300 000 years from sequences found in coyotes. None of the red wolves or eastern Canadian wolf samples from the 1960s contained gray wolf (Canis lupus) mtDNA sequences. The data are not consistent with the hypothesis that the eastern Canadian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf as it is presently designated. We suggest that both the red wolf and the eastern Canadian wolf evolved in North America sharing a common lineage with the coyote until 150 000 - 300 000 years ago. We propose that it retain its original species designation, Canis lycaon.

α1-Antitrypsin polymorphism and systematics of eastern North American wolves

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 961-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
L David Mech ◽  
Nicholas E Federoff
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Red Wolves

We used data on the polymorphic status of α1-antitrypsin (α1AT) to study the relationship of Minnesota wolves to the gray wolf (Canis lupus), which was thought to have evolved in Eurasia, and to red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans), which putatively evolved in North America. Recent evidence had indicated that Minnesota wolves might be more closely related to red wolves and coyotes. Samples from wild-caught Minnesota wolves and from captive wolves, at least some of which originated in Alaska and western Canada, were similarly polymorphic for α1AT, whereas coyote and red wolf samples were all monomorphic. Our findings, in conjunction with earlier results, are consistent with the Minnesota wolf being a gray wolf of Eurasian origin or possibly a hybrid between the gray wolf of Eurasian origin and the proposed North American wolf.

scholarly journals Cross-fostering as a conservation tool to augment endangered carnivore populations

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1033-1041
Author(s):  
Eric M Gese ◽  
William T Waddell ◽  
Patricia A Terletzky ◽  
Chris F Lucash ◽  
Scott R McLellan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Litter Size ◽  
Average Life ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Average Life Span ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Red Wolves ◽  
Cross Fostering

Abstract Cross-fostering offspring with nonbiological parents could prove useful to augment populations of endangered carnivores. We used cross-fostering to augment captive-born and wild-born litters for the endangered red wolf (Canis rufus). Between 1987 and 2016, 23 cross-fostering events occurred involving captive-born pups fostered into captive litters (n = 8 events) and captive-born pups fostered into wild recipient litters (n = 15 events). Percentage of pups surviving 3 and 12 months was 91.7% for captive-born pups fostered into captive recipient litters. For pups fostered into wild litters, percentage of pups surviving 5 months was > 94% among fostered pups (pups fostered into a wild red wolf litter or replaced a hybrid litter), pups in recipient litters (wild-born litters receiving fostered pups), and pups in control litters (wild-born litters not in a fostering event) when using pups with known fates. Including pups with unknown fates as deaths, percentage of pups surviving 5 months was > 54% among fostered pups, pups in recipient litters, and pups in control litters. Among wild litters, percentage of pups surviving 12 months was > 82% among fostered pups, pups in recipient litters, and pups in control litters when using pups with known fates. Including pups with unknown fates as deaths, percentage of pups surviving 12 months was > 48% among fostered pups, pups in recipient litters, and pups in control litters. Although survival to 12 months was similar among the groups, average life span was different with pups in control litters living 3.3 years, pups in recipient litters living 4.6 years, and fostered pups living 5.6 years. Of fostered pups surviving > 12 months in the wild, 9 animals whelped or sired 26 litters. Cross-fostering was successful at augmenting litter size for red wolves without any deleterious effects on recipient litters, illustrating fostering as a tool for increasing populations of endangered carnivores.

Mitochondrial DNA extracted from eastern North American wolves killed in the 1800s is not of gray wolf origin

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 936-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Wilson ◽  
S Grewal ◽  
T McFadden ◽  
R C Chambers ◽  
B N White
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
North American ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
New York State ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Upper Great Lakes ◽  
Red Wolf

We analysed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from two historical samples of eastern North American wolves: the last wolf reported to have been killed in northern New York State (ca. 1890s) and a wolf killed in Maine in the 1880s. These wolves represent eastern wolves, presently classified as the gray wolf (Canis lupus) subspecies Canis lupus lycaon, which were present well before the expansion of western coyotes (Canis latrans) into these regions. We show the absence of gray wolf mtDNA in these wolves. They both contain New World mtDNA, supporting previous findings of a North American evolution of the eastern timber wolf (originally classified as Canis lycaon) and red wolf (Canis rufus) independently of the gray wolf, which originated in Eurasia. The presence of a second wolf species in North America has important implications for the conservation and management of wolves. In the upper Great Lakes region, wolves of both species may exist in sympatry or interbreed with each other, which impacts the accuracy of estimates of numbers of wolves of each species within this geographic region. Furthermore, the historical distribution of the eastern timber wolf (C. lycaon), as revealed by these skin samples, has important implications for the reintroduction of wolves into the northeastern U.S. states, such as New York and Maine.

scholarly journals Managing hybridization of a recovering endangered species: The red wolf Canis rufus as a case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Gese ◽  
Fred F. Knowlton ◽  
Jennifer R. Adams ◽  
Karen Beck ◽  
Todd K. Fuller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Wolf Population ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Species Recovery ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
Red Wolves

Abstract Hybridization presents a unique challenge for conservation biologists and managers. While hybridization is an important evolutionary process, hybridization is also a threat formany native species. The endangered species recovery effort for the red wolf Canis rufus is a classic system for understanding and addressing the challenges of hybridization. From 1987?1993, 63 red wolves were released from captivity in eastern North Carolina, USA, to establish a free-ranging, non-essential experimental population. By 1999, managers recognized hybridization with invasive coyotes Canis latrans was the single greatest threat to successful recovery, and an adaptive management plan was adopted with innovative approaches for managing the threat of hybridization. Here we review the application and results of the adaptive management efforts from 1993 to 2013 by comparing: (1) the numbers of wolves, coyotes, and hybrids captured, (2) the numbers of territorial social groups with presumed breeding capabilities, (3) the number of red wolf and hybrid litters documented each year and (4) the degree of coyote introgression into the wild red wolf gene pool. We documented substantial increases in the number of known red wolves and red wolf social groups from 1987–2004 followed by a plateau and slight decline by 2013.The number of red wolf litters exceeded hybrid litters each year and the proportion of hybrid litters per year averaged 21%. The genetic composition of the wild red wolf population is estimated to include < 4% coyote ancestry from recent introgression since reintroduction. We conclude that the adaptive management plan was effective at reducing the introgression of coyote genes into the red wolf population, but population recovery of red wolves will require continuation of the current management plan, or alternative approaches, for the foreseeable future. More broadly, we discuss the lessons learned from red wolf adaptive management that could assist other endangered species recovery efforts facing the challenge of minimizing hybridization.

scholarly journals Effects of anthropogenic mortality on Critically Endangered red wolf Canis rufus breeding pairs: implications for red wolf recovery

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Hinton ◽  
Kristin E. Brzeski ◽  
David R. Rabon ◽  
Michael J. Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Eastern North Carolina ◽  
Red Wolves

AbstractFollowing precipitous population declines as a result of intensive hunting and 20th century predator-control programmes, hybridization of the Critically Endangered red wolf Canis rufus with coyotes Canis latrans posed a significant challenge for red wolf recovery efforts. Anthropogenic mortality and hybridization continue to pose challenges; the increasing number of wolf deaths caused by humans has limited wolf population growth, facilitated the encroachment of coyotes into eastern North Carolina, and affected the formation and disbandment of breeding pairs. We assessed the effects of anthropogenic mortality on Canis breeding units during a 22-year period (1991–2013). Our results show that deaths caused by people accounted for 40.6% of breeding pair disbandment, and gunshots were the primary cause of mortality. Red wolves replaced congeneric breeding pairs > 75% of the time when pairs disbanded under natural conditions or as a result of management actions. Since the mid 2000s anthropogenic mortality has caused annual preservation rates of red wolf breeding pairs to decline by 34%, and replacement of Canis breeders by red wolves to decline by 30%. Our results demonstrate that human-caused mortality, specifically by gunshots, had a strong negative effect on the longevity of red wolf pairs, which may benefit coyotes indirectly by removing their primary competitor. Coyotes are exacerbating the decline of red wolves by pair-bonding with resident wolves whose mates have been killed.

scholarly journals Wild red wolf Canis rufus poaching risk

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne W. Agan ◽  
Adrian Treves ◽  
Lisabeth Willey
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Hunting Season ◽  
Canis Rufus ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Endangered Population ◽  
Red Wolves ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Future Population

AbstractThe reintroduced red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina declined to 7 known wolves by October 2020. Poaching (illegal killing) is the major component of verified anthropogenic mortality in this and many other carnivore populations, but it is still not well understood. Poaching is often underestimated, partly as a result of cryptic poaching, when poachers conceal evidence. Cryptic poaching inhibits our understanding of the causes and consequences of anthropogenic mortality which is important to conservation as it can inform us about future population patterns within changing political and human landscapes. We estimate risk for marked adult red wolves of 5 causes of death (COD: legal, nonhuman, unknown, vehicle and poached) and disappearance, describe variation in COD in relation to hunting season, and compare time to disappearance or death. We include unknown fates in our risk estimates. We found that anthropogenic COD accounted for 0.724 – 0.787, including cryptic and reported poaching estimated at 0.510 – 0.635 of 508 marked animals. Risk of poaching and disappearance was significantly higher during hunting season. Mean time from collaring until nonhuman COD averaged 376 days longer than time until reported poached and 642 days longer than time until disappearance. Our estimates of risk differed from prior published estimates, as expected by accounting for unknown fates explicitly. We quantify the effects on risk for three scenarios for disappearances, which span conservative to most likely COD. Implementing proven practices that prevent poaching or hasten successful reintroduction may reverse the decline to extinction in the wild of this critically endangered population. Our findings add to a growing literature on endangered species protections and enhancing the science used to measure poaching worldwide.

scholarly journals A portrait of Italian ‘Family houses’: diversified heritage in a redefined territorial and demographic context

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Zanfi ◽  
Chiara Merlini ◽  
Viviana Giavarini ◽  
Fabio Manfredini
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Change ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Property Values ◽  
Italian Family ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Demographic Context ◽  
Family House

AbstractThe ‘family house’ has played a major role within the urbanisation processes that have been transforming the Italian landscape since the 1960s. It is a common feature of the widespread settlements that are part of what has been labelled the ‘diffuse city’ and was the subject of numerous studies during the 1990s. More than 20 years later, this paper returns to the topic of the Italian family house using a renewed methodological approach to describe relevant changes. The hypothesis here is that in order to grasp the tensions affecting ‘family houses’ in today’s context of demographic transition and increased imbalances between dynamic and declining areas, and to contemplate their future, the qualitative gaze adopted by scholars in the 1990s must be integrated with other investigative tools, focusing on demographic change, uses, and the property values of buildings. Using this perspective, the paper provides a series of ‘portraits’ rooted in four meaningful territorial contexts, portraits which may help scholars to redefine their imagery associated with family house and be useful for dedicated building policies.

scholarly journals Creating Destinations for a Better Tomorrow: UN Development Aid for Cultural Tourism in the 1960s

2021 ◽  
pp. 002200942097476
Author(s):  
Marie Huber
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Employment Sector ◽  
Development Decade ◽  
Colonial Legacies ◽  
The Subject ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
International Experts

Tourism is today considered as a crucial employment sector in many developing countries. In the growing field of historical tourism research, however, the relationships between tourism and development, and the role of international organizations, above all the UN, have been given little attention to date. My paper will illuminate how during the 1960s tourism first became the subject of UN policies and a praised solution for developing countries. Examples from expert consultancy missions in developing countries such as Ethiopia, India and Nepal will be contextualized within the more general debates and programme activities for heritage conservation and also the first UN development decade. Drawing on sources from the archives of UNESCO, as well as tourism promotion material, it will be possible to understand how tourism sectors in many so-called developing countries were shaped considerably by this international cooperation. Like in other areas of development aid, activities in tourism were grounded in scientific studies and based on statistical data and analysis by international experts. Examining this knowledge production is a telling exercise in understanding development histories colonial legacies under the umbrella of the UN during the 1960s and 1970s.

‘Couldn’t it happen in Switzerland?’ : The East African Revival and Swiss Church Life in the 1940s and 1950s

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-141
Author(s):  
Ian Randall
Keyword(s):  
Medical Doctor ◽  
Grand Nombre ◽  
Doctor Who ◽  
East African ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Church Life ◽  
The Subject ◽  
To Come ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Spiritual Movement

Summary The East African Revival was a major spiritual movement which started in the 1930s. Joe Church, a medical doctor who had been at Cambridge University, was a central figure and gathered a very large amount of material about the Revival. The connection of the Revival with Switzerland, which has not previously been studied, is the subject of this article, which draws from the Joe Church archive. The connection came about through Berthe Ryf (1900-1989), a missionary nurse in what was then Ruanda-Urundi who on returning to her native Switzerland in 1939 spoke in Swiss churches over a period of five years about the powerful experiences in East Africa. As a result, there were invitations for teams of Europeans and Africans to come to Switzerland. From 1947 onwards many meetings were held, addressed by those who had participated in the Revival. This article explores developments from the 1930s to the 1960s.ZusammenfassungDie ostafrikanische Erweckung war eine größere geistliche Bewegung, die in den Jahren nach 1930 begann. Der Arzt Joe Church, der von der Universität Cambridge kam, war eine führende Figur; er trug eine beträchtliche Menge an Material über die Erweckung zusammen. Die Verbindung dieser Erweckung mit der Schweiz war zuvor noch nicht untersucht worden und stellt das Thema dieses Artikels dar, der mit Material aus dem Joe Church Archiv arbeitet. Diese Beziehung kam zustande durch Berthe Ryf (1900-1989), eine Krankenschwester und Missionarin in dem damals sogenannten Ruanda-Urundi; sie sprach nach ihrer Rückkehr fünf Jahre lang über die kraftvollen Erfahrungen, die sie in Ostafrika gemacht hatte. Infolge dessen gingen Einladungen an Teams von Europäern und Afrikanern, in die Schweiz zu kommen. Von 1947 an gab es viele Veranstaltungen, von jenen gehalten, welche an der Erweckung teilgenommen hatten. Der vorliegende Artikel erforscht die Entwicklungen in den Jahren um 1930 bis um 1960 herum.RésuméLe Réveil en Afrique orientale (East African Revival) est un mouvement spirituel majeur qui débuta dans les années trente. Joe Church, un médecin formé à l’Université de Cambridge, en fut un personnage clé. On lui doit d’avoir collecté un très grand nombre de documents sur ce Réveil. Le sujet de cet article est le rapport entre le Réveil et la Suisse, un thème étudié ici pour la première fois sur la base des archives de Joe Church. Ce lien a été établi grâce à Berthe Ryf (1900-1989), une infirmière missionnaire dans ce pays appelé alors Ruanda-Urundi, qui, après son retour en Suisse, en 1939, fit pendant cinq ans le tour des Églises pour témoigner des expériences bouleversantes que vivait l’Afrique orientale. Le résultat fut que des équipes d’Européens et d’Africains furent invitées à venir en Suisse. À partir de 1947, de nombreuses réunions furent organisées dans lesquelles prenaient la parole ceux qui avaient participé au Réveil. Cet article explore les développements observés des années trente aux années soixante.

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

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Heppenheimer ◽  
Kristin Brzeski ◽  
Ron Wooten ◽  
William Waddell ◽  
Linda Rutledge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Red Wolf ◽  
Reintroduced Population ◽  
Coastal Louisiana ◽  
Red Wolves ◽  
Bayesian Cluster

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.

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