Dispersal of a wolf with complex ancestry from the Dinaric–Alpine region to Germany demonstrates the value of transboundary monitoring networks

Abstract

Abstract Large carnivores such as wolves (Canis lupus) at times disperse distances of several hundred kilometers, which may enable gene flow over vast distances. Such long‐distance dispersal events, however, often remain undetected, and documenting long‐distance dispersers and their movements typically depend on strong transboundary collaborations. Here, we report the dispersal of a wolf (MSV0FF) from the Alpine region of northern Slovenia to Bavaria in southern Germany, a straight‐line distance of around 300 km. The disperser originated in a pack with a genetically diverse breeding pair, where the father exhibited ancestry from the Dinaric and Italian Alpine populations. Genetic analysis of the mother indicated that she was an immigrant from a divergent population further south in the Dinaric‐Balkan region. Such a varied ancestry augments the probability of immigrants being genetically misclassified as wolf‐dog hybrids in their area of arrival, which increases the risk of unfavorable management decisions toward individuals that would be genetically highly valuable for the recipient population. Wolf MSV0FF therefore demonstrates the benefits of international collaborative monitoring networks and the value of sharing samples and analytical approaches for the monitoring of wide‐ranging species.

Keywords

• Canis lupus
• genetic monitoring
• large carnivores
• long‐distance dispersal