Genome Sequencing a Gray Wolf from Peninsular India Provides New Insights into the Evolution and Hybridization of Gray Wolves

Abstract

The gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) is among the few large carnivores that survived the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. Thanks to a complex history of admixture and their extensive geographic ranges, the number of gray wolf subspecies and their phylogenic relationships remain poorly understood. 1-5 Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of a gray wolf collected from peninsular India that was phenotypically distinct from other gray wolves outside India. Genomic analyses revealed that the gray wolf lineage from the Indian subcontinent is ancestral to other gray wolf lineages and diverged from other gray wolves ~116 thousand years ago. Despite their small long-term population size and large geographic range, we also found evidence for pervasive and mosaic gene flow between the Indian wolf and African canids including African golden wolf, Ethiopian wolf, and African wild dog, as well as with West Asian gray wolves. Our study highlights the complex history of gene flow that characterized the evolution of gray wolves and contributes to a better understanding of their evolutionary history.