Inferring the ancestry of African wild dogs that returned to the Serengeti-Mara |
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Authors: | Clare D Marsden Robert K Wayne Barbara K Mable |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK;(2) Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh zoo, Edinburgh, EH12 6TS, UK;(3) Present address: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Haring Hall, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA;(4) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA |
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Abstract: | An endangered population of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) disappeared from the Serengeti-Mara area in 1991. The reasons for the extinction are not well understood, but disease was
implicated in the disappearance. In 2001, wild dogs naturally re-established themselves in the region. We conducted genetic
profiling on samples collected prior and subsequent to this event, as well as samples from three geographically close populations,
to determine the potential source of colonisers. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of re-colonisation from these
nearby wild dog populations. Rather, our analyses suggest that the re-established animals are primarily derived from the same
genetic population as the pre-extinction animals, indicating that wild dogs are likely to have persisted in the Serengeti-Mara
after 1991. We also detected some migrants that could be derived from genetically distinct populations outside the recovery
area. Overall, we did not detect a decline in genetic diversity at either neutral microsatellites or major histocompatibility
complex loci, indicating that the supposed disappearance of wild dogs in the Serengeti-Mara did not substantially impact genetic
variation of the population. |
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