First regional evaluation of nuclear genetic diversity and population structure in northeastern coyotes (Canis latrans)

Javier Monzón

doi:10.12688/f1000research.3819

Abstract

Previous genetic studies of eastern coyotes ( Canis latrans ) are based on one of two strategies: sampling many individuals using one or very few molecular markers, or sampling very few individuals using many genomic markers. Thus, a regional analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in eastern coyotes using many samples and several molecular markers is lacking. I evaluated genetic diversity and population structure in 385 northeastern coyotes using 16 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A region-wide analysis of population structure revealed three primary genetic populations, but these do not correspond to the same three subdivisions inferred in a previous analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences. More focused geographic analyses of population structure indicated that ample genetic structure occurs in coyotes from an intermediate contact zone where two range expansion fronts meet. These results demonstrate that genotyping several highly heterozygous SNPs in a large, geographically dense sample is an effective way to detect cryptic population genetic structure. The importance of SNPs in studies of population and wildlife genomics is rapidly increasing; this study adds to the growing body of recent literature that demonstrates the utility of SNPs ascertained from a model organism for evolutionary inference in closely related species.

Highlights

Restricted to the open deserts and plains of central and western North America, the coyote (Canis latrans) has colonized almost the whole continent in the last 100 years, with few exceptions (e.g. Long Island)[1,2]
This study documents the presence of fine-scaled population genetic structure in eastern coyotes
The contact zone exhibits a strong signal of population structure, the same signal detected in the regional analysis

Summary

Introduction

Restricted to the open deserts and plains of central and western North America, the coyote (Canis latrans) has colonized almost the whole continent in the last 100 years, with few exceptions (e.g. Long Island)[1,2]. Along with its geographic range expansion, the coyote experienced a niche expansion by rapidly colonizing whole new biomes, including eastern temperate and boreal forests[1]. This complex scenario of colonization provides an interesting opportunity to explore the swift formation of population genetic structure following a rapid expansion in geographic distribution and ecological niche. Way et al.[7] examined genetic variation and structure in a sample of coyotes from eastern Massachusetts using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and eight microsatellite loci. They found no genetic structure in coyotes within Massachusetts or even within the broader region of northeastern North America. A regional analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in northeastern coyotes using many samples and many nuclear molecular markers is currently lacking

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