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Wolfspeciesshakeup|ScienceNewsforStudents

GENETICS ANIMALS, EVOLUTION

Wolfspeciesshakeup
Geneticstudysayscoyotesandgraywolvescombinedto
makeothercanines
BY LAUREL HAMERS AUG 16, 2016 12:00 PM EST

Eastern wolves (second from left) and red wolves (second from right) might not be distinct species.
A new genetic analysis suggests theyre mixtures of gray wolves (far left) and coyotes (far right).

FROM LEFT: DENNIS MATHESON/FLICKR (GRAY WOLF) STEFFEN239/FLICKR (EASTERN WOLF)

CHRISTINE MAJUL/FLICKR (RED WOLF) MAV/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (COYOTE)

Wolvesarehavinganidentitycrisis.Anewgeneticanalysissuggeststhatred
wolvesandeasternwolvesarenttruespecies.Instead,theyseemtobe
blendsoftwootherspecies,graywolvesandcoyotes.
GraywolvesusedtoroammuchofNorthAmericauntiltheywerehunted
almosttoextinction.In1973,anewlawcalledtheEndangeredSpeciesAct
madeitacrimetoharmanimalssuchasthegraywolf.Thatprotectionhas
helpedgraywolvestobounceback.Buttheircurrentrangeisstillfarsmaller
thanitusedtobe.
Redwolvesandeasternwolveslooksimilartograywolvesbutareoften
treatedasdifferentspecies.EasternwolvesliveintheGreatLakesregion,
wheregraywolvesarenowscarcer.RedwolvescallthesoutheasternUnited
Stateshome.Thatsaregionwheregraywolvesnolongerexist.
Thenewstudylookedattheentiregeneticmakeup,orgenome,of23wild
caninesfromaroundNorthAmerica.Theresearcherscomparedthegenomes
intheseindividualstothosefrompurecoyotesandEurasianwolves.Thatlet
themfigureouthowmuchofeachanimalsgeneticmaterialcamefrom
wolvesorcoyotes.

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Redwolveshaveabout75percentcoyotegenesandjust25percentwolf
genes,theyfound.Easternwolveshaveabout25to50percentcoyote
ancestry.TheinternationalteamofscientistsreporteditsfindingonlineJuly
27inScienceAdvances.
Thenewdatameanthatbothredandeasternwolveshavematedwith
coyotesinthepast.Graywolvesalsohavesomecoyotegenes.Andeastern
wolvesandredwolvesarejustascloselyrelatedtograywolvesastheyare
toothermembersoftheirspecies.Thatsuggeststhesethreewolfgroupsare
moreevolutionarilyrelatedthanscientistshadthought,saysRobertWayne.
HesabiologistattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles.Healso
coauthoredthestudy.
Redwolvesandeasternwolvesprobablyfirstappearedwhenearlysettlers
huntedgraywolvesintheeasternUnitedStates,saysDougSmith.Hesa
biologistwholeadstheWolfRestorationPrograminYellowstoneNationalPark,
Wyoming.Killingoffsomegraywolvesmaderoomforcoyotestomoveeast.
Theretheylikelybredwithstrugglingwolves.Mixingtheirgeneswithcoyotes
probablyhelpedwolvessurvivewhentimesweretough.
Labels and laws

Whatdifferencedoesallthismake?Potentiallyquitealot.Andhereswhy.
WolvesintheUnitedStatesareprotectedbydifferentlawsdependingon
wheretheylive.Redwolvesarelistedacrossthewholenationasendangered
withextinction.Butgraywolvesareonlylistedasendangeredinsomeplaces.
OnesuchplaceistheupperMidwest.Elsewhere,itslegalforhunterstokill
graywolves.Geneticmixingbetweendifferentkindsofwolvesmakesiteven
hardertocreatelawstoprotectthem.
Redwolvesandeasternwolveslookslightlydifferentfromgraywolves
becauseoftheircoyotegenes.Butwedontfindanythingincrediblyunique
intheredwolfthatyoucantfindinothercanines,saysBridgettvonHoldt.
ShesabiologistatPrincetonUniversityinNewJersey.Shealsoworkedwith
Wayneonthenewstudy.
Still,vonHoldtadds,redwolvesareimportanttoprotect.Thewolfpartof
theirgenomemightactuallyrepresentthelastofthesoutheasterngraywolf,
shesays.Itsasimilarstoryfortheeasternwolf.
Blendedspecieslikethesearehardtolabel,Smithadmits.Usually,when
animalsaredefinedasseparatespecies,itmeanstheyhaveboundariesthat
keepthemfrommatingwitheachother.Nothingisolatesawolf,though,
saysSmith.Theyrejustsocapableofmovingaround.
Sotheblendedgeneticsofthesecaninesaddsanewtwisttoanongoing
battleoverwolfprotectionintheUnitedStates.Howcanweprotectagroup
ofanimalsthatsnotitsownspecies,butcarriesvaluablegeneticinformation?
Theseanimalsdontwalkaroundwithlittlenametagsontheminthefield,
saysvonHoldt.Soanimalswithmixedupancestrydontalwayslookvery
differentfromapurecoyoteorpurewolf.
Theonlywaytomakesurewolfgenesstickaroundincertainareaswouldbe
tobanthekillingofbothwolvesandcoyotesinthoseplaces,vonHoldtsays.
Thatwouldkeepsomeonefromaccidentallykillingawolfthatlookslikea
coyote.Suchlaws,however,wouldbenearlyimpossibletoenforce,sheadds.

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Thisstudyisanimportantstep,saysPaulWilson.HesabiologistatTrent
UniversityinOntario,Canada.Buthedoesntthinkitsthefinalword.
Accordingtohisownresearch,theeasternwolfstilldeservestobeitsown
species.HesayslookingatDNAfromancientNorthAmericancanines
beforewolvesandcoyotesevermatedwitheachothercouldhelpclear
thingsup.
Power Words

(for more about Power Words, click here)

biology The study of living things. The scientists who study them are known as biologists.
canid The biological family of mammals that are carnivores and omnivores. The family
includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals and coyotes. Members of this family are known as
canines.
endangered An adjective used to describe species at risk of going extinct.
Eurasia That part of the globe covered by Europe and Asia.
evolutionary An adjective that refers to changes that occur within a species over time as
it adapts to its environment. Such evolutionary changes usually reflect genetic variation and
natural selection, which leave a new type of organism better suited for its environment than
its ancestors. The newer type is not necessarily more advanced, just better adapted to the
conditions in which it developed.
extinction The permanent loss of a species, family or larger group of organisms.
field An area of study, as in: Her field of research was biology. Also a term to describe a
realworld environment in which some research is conducted, such as at sea, in a forest, on a
mountaintop or on a city street. It is the opposite of an artificial setting, such as a research
laboratory.
gene (adj. genetic) A segment of DNA that codes, or holds instructions, for producing a
protein. Offspring inherit genes from their parents. Genes influence how an organism looks and
behaves.
genetic Having to do with chromosomes, DNA and the genes contained within DNA. The
field of science dealing with these biological instructions is known as genetics. People who
work in this field are geneticists.
genome The complete set of genes or genetic material in a cell or an organism. The study
of this genetic inheritance housed within cells is known as genomics.
Great Lakes A system of five interconnected lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and
Ontario the Great Lakes constitute the largest freshwater source in the world (based on
surface area). They hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water, or about a fifth of the
world's fresh surface water. To give some perspective on that amount, the lakes' water would,
if spread evenly, cover the 48 touching U.S. states to a depth of about 2.9 meters (9.5 feet)
deep.
range The full extent or distribution of something. For instance, a plant or animals range
is the area over which it naturally exists.
species A group of organisms that share similar traits and ancestry, and can usually
breed to produce fertile offspring. It is also the basic rank in a classification system called
taxonomy. A species name is usually given with the next highest rank, the genus.
unique Something that is unlike anything else the only one of its kind.
field An area of study, as in: Her field of research was biology. Also a term to describe a
realworld environment in which some research is conducted, such as at sea, in a forest, on a
mountaintop or on a city street. It is the opposite of an artificial setting, such as a research
laboratory.

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Read another version of this story at Science News.

Citation
JOURNAL: B. vonHoldt et al. Wholegenome sequence analysis shows that two

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JOURNAL: B. vonHoldt et al. Wholegenome sequence analysis shows that two

endemic species of North American wolf are admixtures of the coyote and gray wolf.
(http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/7/e1501714) Science Advances. July 27, 2016.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1501714.
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