Bucking the Trend in Wolf-Dog Hybridization: First Evidence from Europe of Hybridization between Female Dogs and Male Wolves

摘要: Studies on hybridization have proved critical for understanding key evolutionary processes such as speciation and adaptation. However, from the perspective of conservation, poses a concern, it can threaten integrity fitness many wild species, including canids. As result habitat fragmentation extensive hunting pressure, gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations declined dramatically in Europe elsewhere during recent centuries. Small fragmented persisted, but often only presence large numbers dogs, which increase potential introgression to deleteriously affect populations. Here, we demonstrate between dog Estonia Latvia, role both genders process, using combined analysis maternal, paternal biparental genetic markers. Eight animals exhibiting unusual external characteristics wolves - six two Latvia be wolf-dog hybrids. one events was extraordinary. Previous field observations studies indicated that mating dogs is sexually asymmetrical, occurring predominantly female male dogs. While this also case among Estonian hybrids, our data revealed existence mitochondrial genomes Latvian hybrids and, together with Y chromosome autosomal microsatellite data, thus provided first evidence We discuss patterns sexual asymmetry hybridization.