A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, provides interesting new evidence about the evolution of North American wolves, which has been a subject of debate among conservationists and taxonomists.

Southeastern Canada is home to populations of wolves and coyotes whose origins and genetic relationships have long puzzled scientists. In particular, eastern wolves have been the subject of great dispute, and it remains unknown whether these canids represent a distinct species or if they are the result of recent hybridization between coyotes and grey wolves. The Canidae animal family includes coyotes, foxes, jackals, wolves, and domestic dogs.

“This manuscript addresses key evolutionary questions among North American wolf-like canids, but also provides data of direct and applied relevance,” said Trent Forensic Science professor and co-author of the paper, Dr. Christopher Kyle. “This work represents a strong international collaboration that culminates from complementary expertise between wolf experts from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, genomics expertise from University of Ferrara in Italy, and Trent University in Ontario, Canada that has long-standing interest in North American Canis ancestry and genetics.”

Genome sequencing suggests eastern wolves are a distinct species

In Canada, the eastern wolf (also known as the eastern timber wolf or the Algonquin wolf) has been recognized by some as a distinct species based on genetic and behavioral studies. Eastern wolves are listed as “Special Concern” in Canada under the federal Species at Risk Act and “Threatened” in Ontario under the provincial Endangered Species Act. But whereas previous studies have noted the distinctiveness of eastern wolves from coyotes and grey wolves in Canada, the provincial government currently manages them as a single species across their primary range in central Ontario. This pooling of these three taxonomic entities for management is considered necessary because it is so difficult for humans to visually distinguish among wild canids and their hybrids in central Ontario. This leads to frustration among some hunters, trappers and farmers, and challenges in enforcing hunting and trapping regulations.

To test hypotheses related to competing findings for eastern wolves, researchers sequenced whole genomes of 25 animals of known origin and known levels of contemporary hybridization, representative of all Canadian wolf-like canid types. The analysis shows that Eastern wolves that inhabit the Great Lakes region in southeastern Canada are genetically distinct from other canids in the region. Based on the findings it appears that eastern wolves evolved separately from grey wolves about 67,000 years ago. Eastern wolves admixed with coyotes about 37,000 years ago and continue to mix with both coyotes and grey wolves.

Authors on the paper, “Tracing eastern wolf origins from whole-genome data in context of extensive hybridization,” include Trent's Dr. Christopher Kyle and Dr. Brent Patterson, as well as Dr. Michael Donaldson, Dr. Tyler Wheeldon, and collaborators from the University of Ferrara.

Listen to coverage of this research on CBC’s Fresh Air.