Grant: Alliance Grants
Trent University
$135,000.00
Elucidating the origins of eastern wolves through ancient DNA
FY 2023-24
Summary
There is a near 30-year debate on the origin of the eastern wolf in Canada (Canis sp. cf. lycaon; née Canislupus lycaon) and the red wolf (C. rufus) in the eastern range of the United States (US). The competinghypotheses are that these two wolves combined represent a single species (C. lycaon) that originated in NorthAmerica independently of the grey wolf (C. lupus) and is more closely related to the coyote (C. latrans); or thatthese wolves originated through the hybridization of grey wolves and coyotes. Recent work has shownevidence of for the first hypothesis, although evidence of contemporary and ancient grey wolf introgressivehybridization with wolves from eastern regions of North America confounds the interpretation of the results inthe context of the two alternative hypotheses. Furthermore, the origin of modern coyotes has been suggested todate to 10,000 years ago with the now extinct progenitor being a larger, more "wolf-like" ancestor (C. latransorcutti). The question then emerges whether this wolf-like Pleistocene coyote represents C. lycaon/C. rufus thatcolonized eastern North America post-Pleistocene and underwent ancient hybridization with emerging greywolf populations. Applying paleogenomics to specimens pre-dating both contemporary wolf-coyotehybridization and the origin of modern coyotes would more accurately portray the ancestral origins of easternwolves and allow characterization of Pleistocene-era grey wolf and coyote introgression. Eastern wolves are athreatened species in Ontario under the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO)and Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), but formal protectionfor this species has repeatedly been delayed due to outdated species debates, political priorities, and federalbacklog. Trent University and the Hakai Institute have secured late Pleistocene (~15,000 years before present(ybp)) representative material of the eastern wolf. Actions that would help resolve this taxonomic uncertaintywould better support the conservation of this endemic species to Canada and its role as an apex predator of themixed coniferous-deciduous forests of central Ontario and Quebec, with broader significance to the Red Wolf.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
586552-2023
Name nom
Wilson, Paul PJ
Department département
Biology
Organization id
32
Institution établissement
Trent University
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2023
Competition year année de concours
2023
Award amount
135000
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
408
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Wildlife management
Area of application fr
Gestion de la faune
Research subject code
5004
Research subject group en
Genetics
Research subject group fr
Genome analysis
Research subject en
Génétique
Research subject fr
Analyse du génome
Application title
Elucidating the origins of eastern wolves through ancient DNA
Keyword
Adaptation; Ancient DNA; Canis lycaon; Conservation biology; Eastern wolf; Genomics; Hybridization; Phylogenomics; Pleistocene; Species-at-Risk
Application summary
There is a near 30-year debate on the origin of the eastern wolf in Canada (Canis sp. cf. lycaon; née Canislupus lycaon) and the red wolf (C. rufus) in the eastern range of the United States (US). The competinghypotheses are that these two wolves combined represent a single species (C. lycaon) that originated in NorthAmerica independently of the grey wolf (C. lupus) and is more closely related to the coyote (C. latrans); or thatthese wolves originated through the hybridization of grey wolves and coyotes. Recent work has shownevidence of for the first hypothesis, although evidence of contemporary and ancient grey wolf introgressivehybridization with wolves from eastern regions of North America confounds the interpretation of the results inthe context of the two alternative hypotheses. Furthermore, the origin of modern coyotes has been suggested todate to 10,000 years ago with the now extinct progenitor being a larger, more "wolf-like" ancestor (C. latransorcutti). The question then emerges whether this wolf-like Pleistocene coyote represents C. lycaon/C. rufus thatcolonized eastern North America post-Pleistocene and underwent ancient hybridization with emerging greywolf populations. Applying paleogenomics to specimens pre-dating both contemporary wolf-coyotehybridization and the origin of modern coyotes would more accurately portray the ancestral origins of easternwolves and allow characterization of Pleistocene-era grey wolf and coyote introgression. Eastern wolves are athreatened species in Ontario under the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO)and Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), but formal protectionfor this species has repeatedly been delayed due to outdated species debates, political priorities, and federalbacklog. Trent University and the Hakai Institute have secured late Pleistocene (~15,000 years before present(ybp)) representative material of the eastern wolf. Actions that would help resolve this taxonomic uncertaintywould better support the conservation of this endemic species to Canada and its role as an apex predator of themixed coniferous-deciduous forests of central Ontario and Quebec, with broader significance to the Red Wolf.
