Abstract
The diffusion of Neolithic technology together with the Holocene Climatic Optimum fostered the spread of human settlements and pastoral activities in North Africa, resulting in profound and enduring consequences for the dynamics of species, communities and landscapes. Here, we investigate the demographic history of the African wolf (Canis lupaster), a recently recognized canid species, to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in food availability that emerged after the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa. We screened nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in samples collected throughout Algeria and Tunisia, and implemented coalescent approaches to estimate the variation of effective population sizes from present to ancestral time. We have found consistent evidence supporting the hypothesis that the African wolf population experienced a meaningful expansion concurring with a period of rapid population expansion of domesticates linked to the advent of agricultural practices.
Highlights
The Neolithic innovations following the domestication of plants and animals have dramatically changed the Mediterranean landscape
We investigate the demographic history of the African wolf (Canis lupaster), a recently recognized canid species, to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in food availability that emerged after the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa
We screened nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in samples collected throughout Algeria and Tunisia, and implemented coalescent approaches to estimate the variation of effective population sizes from present to ancestral time
Summary
The Neolithic innovations following the domestication of plants and animals have dramatically changed the Mediterranean landscape. We collected genetic information of the Northwestern African wolf population to investigate its demographic history, and to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in availability of food and other human-related opportunities that have emerged since the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa. Genetic diversity was estimated separately for the dataset of Algeria (n = 18), and for the subset of 13 microsatellites in Algeria (n = 18 + 2 genotypes from non-invasive samples) and Tunisia (n = 27), the latter previously generated in our laboratory [26]. Demographic history of the African wolf was inferred using mitochondrial and microsatellite loci separately, compiling data from Algeria and Tunisia in a single dataset. To rule out any possibility of population structure affecting demographic inference [41,42,43], we performed analyses for Algerian and Tunisian datasets separately (electronic supplementary material, appendix S1)
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