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Wolves and dogs provide a paradigmatic example of the ecological and
conservation implications of hybridization events between wild and
domesticated forms. However, our understanding of such implications has
been traditionally hampered by both high genetic similarity and the
difficulties in obtaining tissue samples (TS), which limit our ability to
assess ongoing hybridization events. To assess the occurrence and
extension of hybridization in a pack of wolf-dog hybrids in Northwestern
Iberia, we compared the power of 52 nuclear markers implemented on TS with
a subset of 13 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) typed in non-invasive
samples (NIS). We demonstrate that the 13 AIMs are as accurate as the 52
markers that were chosen without regard to the power to differentiate
between wolves and dogs, also having the advantage of being rapidly
screened on NIS. The efficiency of AIMs significantly outperformed ten
random sets of similar size and an additional commercial set of 18
markers. Bayesian clustering analysis implemented on AIMs and NIS
identified nine hybrids, two wolves and two dogs. Four hybrids were
unambiguously assigned to F1xWolf backcrosses. Our approach (AIMs + NIS)
overcomes previous difficulties related to sample availability and
informative power of markers, allowing a quick identification of wolf-dog
hybrids in the first phases of hybridization episodes. This provides
managers with a reliable tool to evaluate hybridization, and estimate the
success of their actions. This approach may be easily adapted for other
pairs of wild/domesticated species, thus improving our understanding of
the introgression of domestication genes into natural populations.
325 views reported since publication in 2014.