Abstract
This study investigates the gene pool of Portuguese autochthonous dog breeds and their wild counterpart, the Iberian wolf subspecies (Canis lupus signatus), using standard molecular markers. A combination of paternal and maternal molecular markers was used to investigate the genetic composition, genetic differentiation and genetic relationship of native Portuguese dogs and the Iberian wolf. A total of 196 unrelated dogs, including breed and village dogs from Portugal, and other dogs from Spain and North Africa, and 56 Iberian wolves (wild and captive) were analyzed for nuclear markers, namely Y chromosome SNPs, Y chromosome STR loci, autosomal STR loci, and a mitochondrial fragment of the control region I. Our data reveal new variants for the molecular markers and confirm significant genetic differentiation between Iberian wolf and native domestic dogs from Portugal. Based on our sampling, no signs of recent introgression between the two subspecies were detected. Y chromosome data do not reveal genetic differentiation among the analyzed dog breeds, suggesting they share the same patrilineal origin. Moreover, the genetic distinctiveness of the Iberian wolf from other wolf populations is further confirmed with the description of new mtDNA variants for this endemism. Our research also discloses new molecular markers for wolf and dog subspecies assignment, which might become particularly relevant in the case of forensic or noninvasive genetic studies. The Iberian wolf represents a relic of the once widespread wolf population in Europe and our study reveals that it is a reservoir of unique genetic diversity of the grey wolf, Canis lupus. These results stress the need for conservation plans that will guarantee the sustainability of this threatened top predator in Iberia.
Highlights
The Iberian grey wolf subspecies, Canis lupus signatus (Cabrera, 1907) and the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, coexist in the Iberian Peninsula.The domestic dog has existed in this territory at least since the Upper Paleolithic (Detry & Cardoso, 2010; Pionnier-Capitan et al, 2011), and extant dog breeds native to Iberia show a wide variety of forms and functions.Regarding the Iberian wolf, the latest estimates suggest that approximately 2,400 wolves exist in the wild in Iberia, as a result of population expansion after a population minimum due to human activities4404 | www.ecolevol.org Ecology and Evolution. 2017;7:4404–4418.| 4405 in the early 20th century (Álvares, 2011)
Information from other genetic markers, such as mitochondrial DNA or genomewide SNPs, is available for Iberian wolves. These latter studies concluded that for Canis found in Iberia, in Portugal: (1) Iberian wolves exhibit both unique mtDNA haplotypes and haplotypes that are shared with other European and Asian wolves; (2) some wolf haplotypes are widespread, while others are rare with a restricted distribution, but there is no obvious mtDNA haplotype geographic structure; (3) dog and wolf mtDNA haplotypes are mostly distinct, with few haplotypes shared; and (4) Iberian wolf genome analysis shows signatures of long-term isolation from other European wolf populations, evidence of diversifying selection due to local adaptation and admixture with dogs
Five of the seven 420 bp mtDNA haplotypes found in this study were identified for the first time in Iberian wolves and were submitted to GenBank; one had already been identified in Spain; and one is shared with dogs (Portuguese native dog breeds—Castro Laboreiro Watchdog, Portuguese Warren hound, Alentejo mastiff, and Portuguese Sheepdog; Spanish dogs—Spanish mastiff; and dogs from Tunisia) (Figures 3a,c; Table S5)
Summary
The Iberian grey wolf subspecies, Canis lupus signatus (Cabrera, 1907) and the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, coexist in the Iberian Peninsula. Information from other genetic markers, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or genomewide SNPs, is available for Iberian wolves (van Asch et al, 2005; Godinho & Ferrand, 2007; Godinho et al, 2011; Pilot et al, 2010, 2014; Vilà et al, 1997, 1999) These latter studies concluded that for Canis found in Iberia, in Portugal: (1) Iberian wolves exhibit both unique mtDNA haplotypes and haplotypes that are shared with other European and Asian wolves; (2) some wolf haplotypes are widespread, while others are rare with a restricted distribution, but there is no obvious mtDNA haplotype geographic structure; (3) dog and wolf mtDNA haplotypes are mostly distinct, with few haplotypes shared; and (4) Iberian wolf genome analysis shows signatures of long-term isolation from other European wolf populations, evidence of diversifying selection due to local adaptation and admixture with dogs. Our main objectives were as follows: (1) to capture unreported genetic variants for the Portuguese Canis populations; (2) to understand the strength of genetic divergence between paternal lineages of Portuguese native dogs and the Iberian wolf; (3) to investigate whether Iberian dogs and wolves represent genetically distinct reservoirs from their worldwide counterparts; and (4) to provide data to assist the conservation of the locally adapted Iberian wolf subspecies
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