| Autor: |
Cairns, Kylie M., Crowther, Mathew S., Nesbitt, Bradley, Letnic, Mike |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Australian Mammalogy; 2022, Vol. 44 Issue 1, p67-75, 9p |
| Abstrakt: |
Hybridisation between wild and domestic canids is a global conservation and management issue. In Australia, dingoes are a distinct lineage of wild-living canid with a controversial domestication status. They are mainland Australia's apex terrestrial predator. There is ongoing concern that the identity of dingoes has been threatened from breeding with domestic dogs, and that feral dogs have established populations in rural Australia. We collate the results of microsatellite DNA testing from 5039 wild canids to explore patterns of domestic dog ancestry in dingoes and observations of feral domestic dogs across the continent. Only 31 feral dogs were detected, challenging the perception that feral dogs are widespread in Australia. First generation dingo × dog hybrids were similarly rare, with only 27 individuals identified. Spatial patterns of genetic ancestry across Australia identified that dingo populations in northern, western and central Australia were largely free from domestic dog introgression. Our findings challenge the perception that dingoes are virtually extinct in the wild and that feral dogs are common. A shift in terminology from wild dog to dingo would better reflect the identity of these wild canids and allow more nuanced debate about the balance between conservation and management of dingoes in Australia. There is rising concern in Australia that feral dogs are an established pest and threaten native dingoes through crossbreeding. We investigate the ancestry of wild canids using microsatellite DNA markers and find that both feral dogs and dingo × dog hybrids are rare. Instead, most wild canids across Australia are dingoes, even in southeastern Australia where some dingoes carry domestic dog ancestry. We suggest that the term wild dog should be discontinued as it does not accurately reflect the identity of wild canids in Australia. Photograph by Michelle J Photography (Cooma, NSW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
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