Wolves and wolf-coyote hybrids
The Associated Press and RedOrbit reported on genetic research by Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and IoES Professor Robert Wayne indicating that wolves in the eastern U.S. are hybrids of gray wolves and coyotes and that eastern coyotes are wolf-coyote-dog hybrids.
Photo credit: Flickr, law_kevenIn the study, published online earlier this month in the peer-reviewed journal Genome Research, 16 researchers from around the globe led by Robert Wayne of the University of California-Los Angeles, used information from the dog genome — the animal’s entire genetic code — to survey the genetic diversity in dogs, wolves and coyotes.
It was the most detailed genetic study of any wild vertebrate species to date, using molecular genetic techniques to look at over 48,000 markers throughout the full genome, said Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum and a co-author.
To view the Associated Press article click here.
To view the RedOrbit article click here.
Published: Thursday, June 02, 2011
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