Reliable wolf-dog hybrid detection in Europe using a reduced SNP panel developed for non-invasively collected samples
Jenni Harmoinen,
Alina von Thaden,
Jouni Aspi,
Laura Kvist,
Berardino Cocchiararo,
Anne Jarausch,
Andrea Gazzola,
Teodora Sin,
Hannes Lohi,
Marjo K. Hytönen,
Ilpo Kojola,
Astrid Vik Stronen,
Romolo Caniglia,
Federica Mattucci,
Marco Galaverni,
Raquel Godinho,
Aritz Ruiz-González,
Ettore Randi,
Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes,
Carsten Nowak
Affiliations
Jenni Harmoinen
Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu
Alina von Thaden
Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt
Jouni Aspi
Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu
Laura Kvist
Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu
Berardino Cocchiararo
Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt
Anne Jarausch
Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt
Andrea Gazzola
Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity
Teodora Sin
Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity
Hannes Lohi
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki
Marjo K. Hytönen
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki
Ilpo Kojola
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Astrid Vik Stronen
Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
Romolo Caniglia
Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
Federica Mattucci
Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
Marco Galaverni
Scientific Area, WWF Italy
Raquel Godinho
CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto
Aritz Ruiz-González
Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
Ettore Randi
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna
Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes
Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt
Carsten Nowak
Conservation Genetics Group, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt
Abstract Background Understanding the processes that lead to hybridization of wolves and dogs is of scientific and management importance, particularly over large geographical scales, as wolves can disperse great distances. However, a method to efficiently detect hybrids in routine wolf monitoring is lacking. Microsatellites offer only limited resolution due to the low number of markers showing distinctive allele frequencies between wolves and dogs. Moreover, calibration across laboratories is time-consuming and costly. In this study, we selected a panel of 96 ancestry informative markers for wolves and dogs, derived from the Illumina CanineHD Whole-Genome BeadChip (174 K). We designed very short amplicons for genotyping on a microfluidic array, thus making the method suitable also for non-invasively collected samples. Results Genotypes based on 93 SNPs from wolves sampled throughout Europe, purebred and non-pedigree dogs, and suspected hybrids showed that the new panel accurately identifies parental individuals, first-generation hybrids and first-generation backcrosses to wolves, while second- and third-generation backcrosses to wolves were identified as advanced hybrids in almost all cases. Our results support the hybrid identity of suspect individuals and the non-hybrid status of individuals regarded as wolves. We also show the adequacy of these markers to assess hybridization at a European-wide scale and the importance of including samples from reference populations. Conclusions We showed that the proposed SNP panel is an efficient tool for detecting hybrids up to the third-generation backcrosses to wolves across Europe. Notably, the proposed genotyping method is suitable for a variety of samples, including non-invasive and museum samples, making this panel useful for wolf-dog hybrid assessments and wolf monitoring at both continental and different temporal scales.
