Evidence of genetic distinction and long‐term population decline in wolves (Canis lupus) in the Italian Apennines

摘要: Historical information suggests the occurrence of an extensive human-caused contraction in distribution range wolves (Canis lupus) during last few centuries Europe. Wolves disappeared from Alps 1920s, and thereafter continued to decline peninsular Italy until 1970s, when approximately 100 individuals survived, isolated central Apennines. In this study we performed a coalescent analysis multilocus DNA markers infer patterns timing historical population changes surviving This showed unique mitochondrial control-region haplotype, absence private alleles lower heterozygosity at microsatellite loci, as compared other wolf populations. Multivariate, clustering Bayesian assignment procedures consistently assigned all genotypes sampled single group, supporting their genetic distinction. Bottleneck tests evidences Italian wolves, but not Results model indicate that underwent 100- 1000-fold over past 2000-10,000 years. The was stronger longer than elsewhere Europe, suggesting have apparently been genetically for thousands generations south Alps. Ice caps covering Last Glacial Maximum (c. 18,000 years before present), wide expansion Po River, which cut alluvial plains throughout Holocene, might provided effective geographical barriers dispersal. More recently, admixture Alpine Apennine populations could prevented by deforestation, already widespread fifteenth century northern Italy. that, despite high potential rates dispersal gene flow, local may mixed long periods time.