Reviving ghost alleles: Genetically admixed coyotes along the American Gulf Coast are critical for saving the endangered red wolf.

Publication Year
2022

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

The last known red wolves were captured in southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas in 1980 to establish a captive breeding population. Before their extirpation, gene flow with coyotes resulted in the persistence of endangered red wolf genetic variation in local coyote populations. We assessed genomic ancestry and morphology of coyotes in southwestern Louisiana. We detected that 38 to 62% of the coyote genomes contained red wolf ancestry acquired in the past 30 years and have an admixture profile similar to that of the canids captured before the extirpation of red wolves. We further documented a positive correlation between ancestry and weight. Our findings highlight the importance of hybrids and admixed genomes as a reservoir of endangered species ancestry for innovative conservation efforts. Together, this work presents an unprecedented system that conservation can leverage to enrich the recovery program of an endangered species.

Journal
Sci Adv
Volume
8
Issue
26
Pages
eabn7731
Date Published
2022 Jul
ISSN Number
2375-2548
Alternate Journal
Sci Adv
PMCID
PMC9242586
PMID
35767623