周口店变异狼(Canis lupus variabilis)在家畜狗(Canis familiaris)祖先系列中的位置

本文作者对周口店第一、第三及第十三地点的一种化石犬类——变异狼(Canis lupus uariadilis)进行了观察和测量。根据其头骨大小、形态特征以及与中国早期人类共生的情况来看,认为它有可能是从驯化的野生狼导致家畜狗出现的一种祖先类型。     

DOGSET: pre-designed primer sets for fine-scale mapping and DNA sequence interrogation in the dog

DOGSET is an online resource that provides access to primer sequences that have been computationally mined from the reference genome using heuristic algorithms. The electronic repository includes PCR primers corresponding to 32 135 markers for genetic mapping and 334 657 sequence-tagged gene elements for targeted re-sequencing and mutation discovery. A customized report that tailors primer design to wet bench protocols can be exported for a region of interest by specifying genome coordinates in a graphical user interface.     

Domestic dogs as an edge effect in the Brasília National Park, Brazil: interactions with native mammals

Edge effects are a well-known result of habitat fragmentation. However, little has been published on fragmentation, isolation and the intrusive influence from the surrounding matrix at the landscape level. The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the presence of dogs in the Brasília National Park (BNP) in relation to habitat type and the influence from the surrounding matrix. In addition, this study examines the response of the native mammal fauna to the presence of dogs. Track stations were built along dirt roads in the BNP and subsequently examined for the presence or absence of tracks. We used a stepwise logistic regression to model the occurrence of five mammal species relative to habitat variables, with an α =0.05 to determine whether to enter and retain a variable in the model. A simulation of each species occurrence probability was conducted using a combination of selected habitat variables in a resource selection probability function. Results indicate a negative relationship between distance from the BNP edge and the probability of dog occurrences. From an ecological perspective, the presence of dogs inside the BNP indicates an edge effect. The occurrence of the maned wolf was positively associated with distance from a garbage dump site and negatively associated with the presence of dog tracks. The maned wolf and giant anteater seem to avoid areas near the garbage dump as well as areas with dog tracks. There is no support for the possible existence of a feral dog population inside the BNP, but the effects of free-ranging dogs on the wildlife population in such an isolated protected area must not be neglected. Domestic dog Canis familiaris populations and disease control programs should be established in the urban, sub-urban and rural areas surrounding the BNP, along with the complete removal of the garbage dump from the BNP surroundings.     

Factors affecting the divergence of mate recognition systems in the Limnocytherinae (Crustacea,Ostracoda)

Specific Mate Recognition Systems (SMRS) consist of a set of morphological, behavioural and physiological traits which allow mate recognition. The Limnocytherinae, a lineage of non-marine podocopid Ostracoda, have a relatively wide diversity of copulatory modules, a concept largely congruent with the morphological part of the SMRS. The present paper describes the various copulatory modules in some detail and discusses potential mechanisms responsible for the divergence of these modules. Although none of the processes was thus far demonstrated directly, resulting patterns provide indirect evidence that four different mechanisms contribute. Stochastic processes (chance) as well as developmental and other phylogenetic constraints are involved in the initial selection (choice) of modified structures. Subsequent (positive) directional sexual selection on traits of the recognition systems causes radiative speciation within lineages. At all times, natural selection acts on the development of these structures, either stabilising or negative directional. A number of potential tests for these hypotheses are suggested.     

Behavioral and Self-report Measures Influencing Children's Reported Attachment to Their Dog

Despite the prevalence of dogs as family pets and increased scientific interest in canine behavior, few studies have investigated charac- teristics of the child or dog that influence the child–dog relationship. In the present study, we explored how behavioral and some self-report measures influence a child's reported attachment to their dog, as assessed by the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS). We tested specifically whether children (n = 99; mean age = 10.25 years, SD = 1.31) reported stronger attachment to dogs that were perceived as being more supportive (mea- sured by a modified version of the Network of Relationships Inventory), that were more successful in following the child's pointing gesture in a standard two-object choice test, or that solicited more petting in a sociability assess- ment. In addition, we assessed whether children's attachment security to their parent and being responsible for the care of their dog influenced re- ported attachment to the dog. Overall, perceived support provided by the dog was highly predictive of all subscales of the LAPS. The dog's success in following the child's pointing gestures and lower rates of petting during the sociability assessment were associated with higher ratings on the General Attachment subscale of the LAPS, but not on the other subscales. Caring for the dog did not predict the child's reported attachment to the dog, but did predict the dog's behavior on the point-following task and petting during the sociability task. If the child cared for the dog, the dog was more likely to be successful on the pointing task and more likely to be petted. These results indicate a dyadic relationship in which the child's care for the dog is associ- ated with the dog's behavior on the behavioral tasks, which in turn is related to the child's reported attachment to their dog. The direction of influence and nature of this dyad will be a fruitful area for future research.     

Assessment of the population structure of five Finnish dog breeds with microsatellites

Genetic variabilities within and between Finnish populations of Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Wirehaired Dachshunds, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Bedlington Terriers were quantified with microsatellite allele numbers, observed heterozygosities, expected heterozygosities, FIS estimates, FST estimates and DS distances. In a sample of 50 individuals from each, breed and ten polymorphic loci, the highest genetic diversity was exhibited in the Wirehaired Dachshunds and lowest in the Bedlington Terriers. Although statistically significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg (H-W) equilibrium were observed, they occurred at an unexpectedly low frequency. Most strikingly, the extremely small Bedlington Terrier population displayed genotypes in H-W proportions in all investigated loci. The H-W deviations always occurred with positive FIS estimates, which, on average, were not larger than values reported for free-living canids. Genetic differentiation between the breeds was very large. As a comparison, present estimates were, on average, over two times higher than previously observed between breeds of sheep, and over two times higher than the highest estimates reported between human populations. Moreover, the highest DS distances were only slightly lower than the lowest values inferred between humans and chimpanzees. Severe bottlenecks in the recent past of the examined breeds were not statistically supported. The presented data imply genetic isolation and intense artificial selection in the history of these breeds of dogs.     

Regional occurrence,high frequency but low diversity of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog‐wolf hybridization in Scandinavia

The domestic dog mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)‐gene pool consists of a homogenous mix of haplogroups shared among all populations worldwide, indicating that the dog originated at a single time and place. However, one small haplogroup, subclade d1, found among North Scandinavian/Finnish spitz breeds at frequencies above 30%, has a clearly separate origin. We studied the genetic and geographical diversity for this phylogenetic group to investigate where and when it originated and whether through independent domestication of wolf or dog‐wolf crossbreeding. We analysed 582 bp of the mtDNA control region for 514 dogs of breeds earlier shown to harbour d1 and possibly related northern spitz breeds. Subclade d1 occurred almost exclusively among Swedish/Finnish Sami reindeer‐herding spitzes and some Swedish/Norwegian hunting spitzes, at a frequency of mostly 60–100%. Genetic diversity was low, with only four haplotypes: a central, most frequent, one surrounded by two haplotypes differing by an indel and one differing by a substitution. The substitution was found in a single lineage, as a heteroplasmic mix with the central haplotype. The data indicate that subclade d1 originated in northern Scandinavia, at most 480–3000 years ago and through dog‐wolf crossbreeding rather than a separate domestication event. The high frequency of d1 suggests that the dog‐wolf hybrid phenotype had a selective advantage.