Hybridization Red Wolf

Superior Essays
Grant Application: Research into the effects of hybridization with coyotes on red wolf survival
Matthew Owen, University of South Wales, UK

Introduction and project rationale The red wolf (Canis rufus) is a critically endangered canid species that is endemic to the south-east regions of the United States. In the past, the wolves were widespread in numerous American states, but persecution and loss of habitat restricted them to the states of Louisiana and Texas where they then struggled with high parasite numbers and hybridization with coyotes (Canis latrans) (Brzeski et al., 2014). As red wolves are an endangered species, efforts to re-introduce the animals to the wild are actively taking place. Pedigree inbreeding coefficients
…show more content…
This can also lower the survival rates of the small wild red wolf populations. In areas where the wolves have been introduced, aggressive behaviour has been observed between the two species. Understanding the effects of interspecific competition is important for successful reintroduction of the red wolf (Roth et al., 2008). A study on the impacts of coyotes on red wolf survival (Roth et al., 2008) used red wolves fitted with radio collars in North Carolina to calculate survival rates. In the years 1987-2001, the survival rates were 0.678 (pups), 0.793 (yearlings), and 0.806 (adults). Simulations were run in this study to discover the effects of coyote population change on red wolf population. It was found that decreasing coyote survival to 10% reduced their population to 40%, which caused the wolf population to more than double. This study aims to investigate the potential effects of hybridization with coyotes on the survival rates of red wolves. It is important that this research is conducted because the species is currently under serious threat of extinction through depletion of the gene pool. It is hypothesised that the results will show that hybridization with coyotes has negative effects on red wolf population …show more content…
A multi-faceted molecular approach to red wolf Canis rufus conservation and management. University of Idaho, Moscow.
Adams, J., Kelly, B. & Waits, L., 2003. Using faecal DNA sampling and GIS to monitor hybridization between red wolves Canis rufus and coyotes Canis latrans. Molecular Ecology, 12, pp.2175–2186.
Bohling, J.H. & Waits, L.P., 2015. Factors influencing red wolf–coyote hybridization in eastern North Carolina, USA. Biological Conservation, 184, pp.108–116. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.01.013.
Brzeski, K.E. et al., 2014. Inbreeding and inbreeding depression in endangered red wolves (Canis rufus). Molecular Ecology, pp.4241–4255.
Carley, C., 1975. Activities and Findings of the Red Wolf Field Recovery Program from Late 1973 to July 1, 1975. Albuquerque: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report.
Gese, E.M. et al., 2015. Managing hybridization of a recovering endangered species: The red wolf Canis rufus as a case study. Current Zoology, 61(1), pp.191–205.
Kelly, B.T., Miller, P.S. & Seal, U.S., 1999. Population and habitat viability assessment workshop for the red wolf (Canis

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Several decades have passed, and we now know that the reintroduction of the wolves to Yellowstone was an overall success, despite a few mishaps with livestock losses to ranchers and poaching losses to the wolf packs. Over time, the greater fears of the ranchers were proven to be insubstantial, and wolves and humans appear to be living side by side in a guarded sort of harmony. The wolf packs have grown and the…

    • 1976 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Catahoula Research Paper

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The idea that Native Americans bred their dogs with or from red wolves is not supported by recent DNA work. Several recent studies, have looked at the remains of prehistoric dogs from American archaeological sites and each has indicated that the genetics of prehistoric American dogs…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction The reintroduction of the Mexican Gray wolf into the southwestern United States has been a subject of large controversy in the past few decades. They first became protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1976; this species that had numbers in the thousands only a few decades earlier had become completely extinct in the United States (Southwest Wildlife). In 1960 the population dropped to seven, and yet there were still no efforts to implement their recovery as a species for 16 more years. Currently the goal of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is to expand the population in the wild to at least one hundred (Bergman).…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Island Fox Research Paper

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The island fox has been endangered since the 1990’s.but was not federally recognized as such until 2004. The island foxes on Santa Catalina became endangered because a wild North American raccoon was “stow away” on a boat and escaped onto the island in the late 1990s. Canine distemper virus, a fatal dog disease passed from this raccoon to the island foxes. By 2000 almost 90% of the foxes died from the distemper virus.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The mexican gray wolf almost became extinct. “In 1976, the mexican wolf was placed on the Endangered Species List, making the recovery of the species a federal concern. ” It is currently the most endangered species in North America. Not many people know this because almost every one of them are dead.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Denali National Park Essay

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages

    For the last few decades, numbers have been on the higher end of the range. Now, historic packs known for their numbers are on the brink of extinction. The Board of Game has not been concerned, keeping their belief that the population will rise naturally, despite the sudden extreme drop in wolf…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Wolf Run Refuge is a nonprofit program to help tons of animals across the world. It runs on donations and volenteer work from other poeple wanting to help aniamls endangered. Kara Baird is a volenteer aniamal worker and she says “ it’s not pretty like a zoo, where all the animals are new and bred for being looked at. These aren’t animal to be displayed , this place is for these animals to have a safe enviornment”. One of the most rare species there is a pack of five hybrid wolves, there half dog half wolf, baired raised to of the hybrids her self.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They had more time to graze and were feasting upon the willow (beavers food). Thus, making the willow and beaver population decline. This has been greatly approved upon by the reintroduction. The wolves feast on mammals like elk. So, with the reintroduction the elk population did initially decrease.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Procyon Lotor Hypothesis

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The mesopredator release hypothesis seems to be more exclusive to members of the canid community, as the relationship between coyotes and raccoons appeared a bit more complex in this study. There was not one recorded raccoon death due to predatory behavior of a coyote across this entire study. While this study aimed to determine if coyotes acted as a biocontrol for overpopulated “mesopredators” such as raccoons, the results put into question such an assertion and prove the first hypothesis of this study to not be supported since not one raccoon was recorded as being killed by a coyote. The second hypothesis was also not supported as there was no recorded data to represent raccoons avoiding areas specifically because there was a coyote population present…

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wolf Reintroduction Essay

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One of the most renowned rewilding projects which has demonstrated the effects rewilding has on a whole ecosystem, was the reintroduction of grey wolves (Canis lupus) into Yellowstone National Park in the North West of the United States. The wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995-1996 and have subsequently recolonised the whole park and some of the surrounding area known as the greater Yellowstone ecosystem (GYE) (Smith et al., 2003). The reintroduction of the wolves has had a great effect on the ecosystem of Yellowstone; the wolves have greatly reduced the numbers of ungulates, especially Elk which have been found to support the wolf packs almost entirely (Smith et al., 2003). The wolves have also had an effect on many of the other organisms…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    River Otters Case Study

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the Health and Natural Science Building’s classroom, 147, Dr. Erin Barding elaborated about the recovery and management of a reintroduced river otter population. River otters, or Lontra Canadensis, are stocky mustelid and semi-aquatic. They appear in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. They have few natural predators and hold high value for their fur. In other words, otter’s fur are really dense and luxurious and can sell for $100-$200.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    It is a reddish, tawny colour with big ears and small skull. Studies in 2016 concluded that the red wolf is a hybrid formed between the gray wolf and the coyote. Their mating season is in January – February, with each litter being an average of 6 – 7 pups born in March, April and May. Wolf parents are monogamous and raise their pups together. Their…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We will ship these blood samples to a lab in northern Texas, where scientist will analyze them. This will verify who the non-breeders are within the coteries. Nevertheless, this last way might prove daunting due to the prairie dogs’ high probability to inbreed, which could make it hard to distinguish who is the parent due to the very close relatedness. We will apply these same conditions on the experimental groups’ aboveground…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heterozygosity

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The null hypothesis stated that there is no difference in genetic variability or heterozygosity between the wild and founding populations. Based on the statistical Chi-square test comparison of genetic diversity between populations, the null hypothesis is valid and should not be rejected. The SPSS statistical results yielded a chi-square value of 0.773a and a P-value of 0.942 (Table 2). 0.942 is greater than 0.05, which means that statistically, there is no significant difference between the two populations. Thus, the wild and founding population are not different.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Inbreeding Patterns

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages

    OBJECTIVES 1) To study how pumas recognize kin and the general mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance in a non-threatened population and to address how this information might inform studies in threatened populations. 2) To measure the link between population size and inbreeding rates in puma concolor in the 4 Southern California locations. 3) To identify whether the kin recognition mechanism is faulty in Southern California population, and if they had to genetically change in order to allow inbreeding. The aim of the current study is to measure kin selection in natural and urban populations of pumas and to measure the link between the population size and the inbreeding rates in the puma concolor.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays