FAST TRACK: Legacy lost: genetic variability and population size of extirpated US grey wolves (Canis lupus)
@article{Leonard2005FASTTL, title={FAST TRACK: Legacy lost: genetic variability and population size of extirpated US grey wolves (Canis lupus)}, author={Jennifer A. Leonard and Carles Vil{\`a} and Robert K. Wayne}, journal={Molecular Ecology}, year={2005}, volume={14} }
By the mid 20th century, the grey wolf (Canis lupus) was exterminated from most of the conterminous United States (cUS) and Mexico. However, because wolves disperse over long distances, extant populations in Canada and Alaska might have retained a substantial proportion of the genetic diversity once found in the cUS. We analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences of 34 pre‐extermination wolves and found that they had more than twice the diversity of their modern conspecifics, implying a historic…
151 Citations
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