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Jarausch A, von Thaden A, Sin T, Corradini A, Pop MI, Chiriac S, Gazzola A, Nowak C. Assessment of genetic diversity, population structure and wolf-dog hybridisation in the Eastern Romanian Carpathian wolf population. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22574. [PMID: 38114536 PMCID: PMC10730609 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48741-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The Carpathian Mountains have been constantly inhabited by grey wolves and present one of the largest distribution areas in Europe, comprising between 2300 and 2700 individuals in Romania. To date, however, relatively little is known about the Romanian wolf population. We aimed to provide a first assessment of genetic diversity, population structure and wolf-dog hybridisation based on 444 mostly non-invasively collected samples in the Eastern Romanian Carpathians. Pack reconstruction and analysis of population genetic parameters were performed with mitochondrial DNA control-region sequencing and microsatellite genotyping. We found relatively high levels of genetic diversity, which is similar to values found in previous studies on Carpathian wolves from Poland and Slovakia, as well as to the long-lasting Dinaric-Balkan wolf population. We found no significant population structure in our study region, suggesting effective dispersal and admixture. Analysis of wolf-dog hybridisation using a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism panel optimised for hybrid detection revealed low rates of admixture between wolves and domestic dogs. Our results provide evidence for the existence of a genetically viable wolf population in the Romanian Carpathians. The genetic data obtained in this study may serve as valuable baseline information for the elaboration of monitoring standards and management plans for wolves in Romania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Jarausch
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystraße 12, 63571, Gelnhausen, Germany.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Alina von Thaden
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystraße 12, 63571, Gelnhausen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Teodora Sin
- Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 91-95, 050095, Bucharest, Romania
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Ion Creanga 12, 620083, Focsani, Romania
| | - Andrea Corradini
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Ion Creanga 12, 620083, Focsani, Romania
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38098, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133, Palermo, PA, Italy
| | - Mihai I Pop
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Ion Creanga 12, 620083, Focsani, Romania
| | - Silviu Chiriac
- Environmental Protection Agency, Vrancea County, Dinicu Golescu 2, 620106, Focsani, Romania
| | - Andrea Gazzola
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Ion Creanga 12, 620083, Focsani, Romania
| | - Carsten Nowak
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystraße 12, 63571, Gelnhausen, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Harmoinen J, von Thaden A, Aspi J, Kvist L, Cocchiararo B, Jarausch A, Gazzola A, Sin T, Lohi H, Hytönen MK, Kojola I, Stronen AV, Caniglia R, Mattucci F, Galaverni M, Godinho R, Ruiz-González A, Randi E, Muñoz-Fuentes V, Nowak C. Reliable wolf-dog hybrid detection in Europe using a reduced SNP panel developed for non-invasively collected samples. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:473. [PMID: 34171993 PMCID: PMC8235813 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07761-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due to the low number of markers showing distinctive allele frequencies between wolves and dogs. Moreover, calibration across laboratories is time-consuming and costly. In this study, we selected a panel of 96 ancestry informative markers for wolves and dogs, derived from the Illumina CanineHD Whole-Genome BeadChip (174 K). We designed very short amplicons for genotyping on a microfluidic array, thus making the method suitable also for non-invasively collected samples. Results Genotypes based on 93 SNPs from wolves sampled throughout Europe, purebred and non-pedigree dogs, and suspected hybrids showed that the new panel accurately identifies parental individuals, first-generation hybrids and first-generation backcrosses to wolves, while second- and third-generation backcrosses to wolves were identified as advanced hybrids in almost all cases. Our results support the hybrid identity of suspect individuals and the non-hybrid status of individuals regarded as wolves. We also show the adequacy of these markers to assess hybridization at a European-wide scale and the importance of including samples from reference populations. Conclusions We showed that the proposed SNP panel is an efficient tool for detecting hybrids up to the third-generation backcrosses to wolves across Europe. Notably, the proposed genotyping method is suitable for a variety of samples, including non-invasive and museum samples, making this panel useful for wolf-dog hybrid assessments and wolf monitoring at both continental and different temporal scales. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07761-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Harmoinen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Alina von Thaden
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Biologicum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jouni Aspi
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Laura Kvist
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Berardino Cocchiararo
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anne Jarausch
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Biologicum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andrea Gazzola
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Focşani, Romania
| | - Teodora Sin
- Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, Focşani, Romania.,Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Hannes Lohi
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marjo K Hytönen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilpo Kojola
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Eteläranta 55, FI-96300, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Astrid Vik Stronen
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Insubria University, Varese, Italy
| | - Romolo Caniglia
- Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Bologna, Italy
| | - Federica Mattucci
- Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Raquel Godinho
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Aritz Ruiz-González
- Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Zoology Laboratory, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Ettore Randi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carsten Nowak
- Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany.,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Lesniak I, Heckmann I, Heitlinger E, Szentiks CA, Nowak C, Harms V, Jarausch A, Reinhardt I, Kluth G, Hofer H, Krone O. Population expansion and individual age affect endoparasite richness and diversity in a recolonising large carnivore population. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41730. [PMID: 28128348 PMCID: PMC5269671 DOI: 10.1038/srep41730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent recolonisation of the Central European lowland (CEL) by the grey wolf (Canis lupus) provides an excellent opportunity to study the effect of founder events on endoparasite diversity. Which role do prey and predator populations play in the re-establishment of endoparasite life cycles? Which intrinsic and extrinsic factors control individual endoparasite diversity in an expanding host population? In 53 individually known CEL wolves sampled in Germany, we revealed a community of four cestode, eight nematode, one trematode and 12 potential Sarcocystis species through molecular genetic techniques. Infections with zoonotic Echinococcus multilocularis, Trichinella britovi and T. spiralis occurred as single cases. Per capita endoparasite species richness and diversity significantly increased with population size and changed with age, whereas sex, microsatellite heterozygosity, and geographic origin had no effect. Tapeworm abundance (Taenia spp.) was significantly higher in immigrants than natives. Metacestode prevalence was slightly higher in ungulates from wolf territories than from control areas elsewhere. Even though alternative canid definitive hosts might also play a role within the investigated parasite life cycles, our findings indicate that (1) immigrated wolves increase parasite diversity in German packs, and (2) prevalence of wolf-associated parasites had declined during wolf absence and has now risen during recolonisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Lesniak
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilja Heckmann
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.,Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ecology and Evolution of Molecular Parasite Host Interactions, Philippstraße 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia A Szentiks
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Nowak
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Verena Harms
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Anne Jarausch
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Ilka Reinhardt
- LUPUS Institute for Wolf Monitoring and Research in Germany, Dorfstraße 20, 02979 Spreewitz, Germany
| | - Gesa Kluth
- LUPUS Institute for Wolf Monitoring and Research in Germany, Dorfstraße 20, 02979 Spreewitz, Germany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Krone
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
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