Genomics sees wolves differently

Abstract

Conservation The taxonomy of America's wolves—including the red ( Canis rufus ), gray ( C. lupus ), and eastern ( C. lycaon ) species—is fraught with debate. Species identification, however, informs listing, delisting, and relisting under the Endangered Species Act. Von Holdt et al. analyzed the whole genomes of red, gray, and eastern wolves, along with those of coyotes (with which they can interbreed) and distant canid species, such as the golden jackal and Eurasian gray wolf. America's wolves consist of geographically complex sets of populations differing in degrees of past interbreeding. Wolf conservation may therefore need to be based on evolutionary history rather than taxonomic typologies. Sci. Adv. 2 , e1501714 (2016).