Gene

Demography

Ecology

Biology

Genus

Gray wolf

Biochemistry

Evolutionary biology

Genetics

Interspecific competition

Gene flow

Population

Sociology

Canis

Jackal

MEDLINE

Zoology

Scopus

Genetic variation

Current Biology

The evolutionary history of the wolf-like canids of the genus Canis has been heavily debated, especially regarding the number of distinct species and their relationships at the population and species level [1Viranta S. Atickem A. Werdelin L. Stenseth N.C. Rediscovering a forgotten canid species.BMC Zoology. 2017; 2: 6Crossref Scopus (34) Google Scholar, 2Rueness E.K. Asmyhr M.G. Sillero-Zubiri C. Macdonald D.W. Bekele A. Atickem A. Stenseth N.C. The cryptic African wolf: Canis aureus lupaster is not a golden jackal and is not endemic to Egypt.PLoS ONE. 2011; 6: e16385Crossref PubMed Scopus (81) Google Scholar, 3Gaubert P. Bloch C. Benyacoub S. Abdelhamid A. Pagani P. Djagoun C.A.M.S. Couloux A. Dufour S. Reviving the African wolf Canis lupus lupaster in North and West Africa: a mitochondrial lineage ranging more than 6,000 km wide.PLoS ONE. 2012; 7: e42740Crossref PubMed Scopus (66) Google Scholar, 4Koepfli K.-P. Pollinger J. Godinho R. Robinson J. Lea A. Hendricks S. Schweizer R.M. Thalmann O. Silva P. Fan Z. et al.Genome-wide evidence reveals that African and Eurasian golden jackals are distinct species.Curr. Biol. 2015; 25: 2158-2165Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (125) Google Scholar, 5Lindblad-Toh K. Wade C.M. Mikkelsen T.S. Karlsson E.K. Jaffe D.B. Kamal M. Clamp M. Chang J.L. Kulbokas 3rd, E.J. Zody M.C. et al.Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog.Nature. 2005; 438: 803-819Crossref PubMed Scopus (1818) Google Scholar, 6Fan Z. Silva P. Gronau I. Wang S. Armero A.S. Schweizer R.M. Ramirez O. Pollinger J. Galaverni M. Ortega Del-Vecchyo D. et al.Worldwide patterns of genomic variation and admixture in gray wolves.Genome Res. 2016; 26: 163-173Crossref PubMed Scopus (125) Google Scholar]. We assembled a dataset of 48 resequenced genomes spanning all members of the genus Canis except the black-backed and side-striped jackals, encompassing the global diversity of seven extant canid lineages. This includes eight new genomes, including the first resequenced Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), one dhole (Cuon alpinus), two East African hunting dogs (Lycaon pictus), two Eurasian golden jackals (Canis aureus), and two Middle Eastern gray wolves (Canis lupus). The relationships between the Ethiopian wolf, African golden wolf, and golden jackal were resolved. We highlight the role of interspecific hybridization in the evolution of this charismatic group. Specifically, we find gene flow between the ancestors of the dhole and African hunting dog and admixture between the gray wolf, coyote (Canis latrans), golden jackal, and African golden wolf. Additionally, we report gene flow from gray and Ethiopian wolves to the African golden wolf, suggesting that the African golden wolf originated through hybridization between these species. Finally, we hypothesize that coyotes and gray wolves carry genetic material derived from a “ghost” basal canid lineage.

Interspecific Gene Flow Shaped the Evolution of the Genus Canis