Abstract
Western North America contains a mosaic of indigenous and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations. Historically, native red foxes occurred in subalpine zones of the Cascade, Rocky, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, and in the desert-like Sacramento Valley of California. The origins of red foxes observed in the Intermountain West since the early 1900s are unclear, potentially representing native population relicts from the last ice age, dispersers from adjacent mountain populations, or early fur-farm escapees. These foxes carry a native 696-bp mitochondrial haplotype (A-19), which was also the most basal and widespread among western populations and thus equally consistent with ancient and contemporary origins. Here, to increase resolution, we sequenced an additional 3,308 bp (totaling 4,004bp) of the mitochondrial genome corresponding to A-19 and related haplotypes (O-24 and D-19) from historical and modern samples collected throughout western North America. The expanded sequences revealed previous...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
