Wing shape determines how far birds disperse

A ROM study found that flight efficiency estimated from museum specimens can predict bird dispersal distances

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

 

IMAGE: VARIOUS WING SHAPES FROM BIRDS IN ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY SANTIAGO CLARAMUNT. © ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Bird dispersal movements are thought to depend on complex demographic and genetic factors. Dr. Santiago Claramunt, Associate Curator of Birds at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Toronto, shows that there may be a simpler explanation: bird dispersal distances depend on the morphology and flight efficiency of the wings. The study, “Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds”, was published in the journal Ecology.

When a bird moves to establish a new breeding territory, how far does it go? This is a simple but fundamental question in ecology and evolution. Despite great advances in tracking technologies, we know little about the movement of young birds. Natal dispersal, the movement of birds from the place where they were born to a new breeding site, has important consequences for bird demography, genetic connectivity, and conservation.

The ability to predict bird dispersal capabilities from wing morphology may have applications in biodiversity conservation, the study concludes. “Climate change and habitat fragmentation are having a huge impact on bird populations and the capacity of species to move across the landscape can determine which species will thrive and which may become endangered. Species with reduced flight capabilities will have a harder time dealing with these impacts.” says Claramunt. Previous studies have shown that flightless birds are more prone to extinction, but birds with poor flight capabilities may be similarly threatened. “By using our museum specimens to estimate flight capabilities we can identify species that would be particularly vulnerable to these conservation challenges.”

The study evaluated the relationship between flight efficiency and natal dispersal distances for 75 bird species in the British Islands using data from the bird-ringing program of the British Trust for Ornithology. Bird wings size and shape were measured from collections held at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, and the University of Washington Burke Museum.

Species with elongated wings and efficient flights such as the Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, disperse long distances while species with short rounded wings such as the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, remain very close to their nesting site.

Bird aerodynamics studies have long indicated that elongated (high aspect ratio) wings are the most efficient for long distance flights. This new study confirms this prediction in the context of dispersal distances.

CAPTION

Three wing specimens from the Royal Ontario Museum.

CREDIT

Photo by Santiago Claramunt. © Royal Ontario Museum

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JOURNAL

Ecology

DOI

10.1002/ecy.3442 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Flight efficiency explains differences in natal dispersal distances in birds

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Jun-2021

COI STATEMENT

I declare no conflict of interest.

Strong opposition from food lobby to Transport for London advertising

New research shows how Transport for London faced strong opposition from large food companies to its 2019 ban on advertising foods high in fat, sugar or salt

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Even though 82% of the public welcomed Transport for London’s (TfL) 2019 ban on advertising foods high in fat, sugar or salt, the Greater London Authority (GLA) faced strong opposition from large food companies and the advertisers who run their campaigns. 

Small food businesses and those not primarily involved in the production of ultra-processed foods were largely in favour of the ban, which was introduced to create a healthier food environment for London’s children.

This is according to data acquired through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, analysed by researchers at the University of Bath and published today [2 September] in PLOS Medicine.

The researchers found that opponents to the ban challenged it on multiple grounds, tried to increase their role in the policy process, and shared their own evidence with officials, while suppressing or undermining independent evidence that supported the policy.

Despite significant commercial opposition, the ban went ahead, which the researchers consider a positive precedent for other public authorities planning similar bans. Some, including Bristol, have already followed suit, and introduced advertising restrictions on advertising space they own. However, they warn other authorities to be vigilant to opposition from the food industry.

Attempts by corporations to derail marketing regulations for tobacco and alcohol are well-documented, and this research suggests that many of the tactics used by food companies are taken from the same ‘playbook’. These include direct lobbying, using coalitions to deliver their messaging and establish alternative routes for access, downplaying policy benefits, and exaggerating potential negative effects.

Companies and business groups fed into the policy process by responding to the public London Food Strategy consultation. Some were proactively encouraged by GLA officials to participate as part of their stakeholder engagement process, which included meetings with policymakers. The Freedom of Information data obtained by the researchers suggests that, in the lead-up to the introduction of the advertising ban, GLA officials had up to eight meetings or calls per month with large food and advertising industry representatives.

The London Child Obesity Taskforce, though not directly involved in the development of the restrictions, appeared to be seen as an important access point by companies. McDonald’s, for instance, contacted the Taskforce as early as April 2018 and later applied to become a member, although correspondence suggests that it was unsuccessful because it applied late.

While some meetings were formally listed as part of the consultation process, there were also informal interactions. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), for instance, participated in multiple calls with the Taskforce and GLA staff, and invited a Taskforce member on a ‘magical mystery tour’ of London eateries and a tour of Brixton. The company also sent the same official an invitation to its annual ‘Restaurant General Manager Fest’.

Multiple emails suggest that KFC offered to collaborate with the Taskforce. However, the researchers could not determine the nature of the collaboration due to redactions and because minutes of the relevant meetings were not shared publicly.

Many respondents started their consultation submissions supportively – Uber Eats, for example, said it supported the Mayor’s plan to reduce obesity ‘in general’ and McDonald’s that it understood the need for regulation ‘in essence’ – but went on to oppose the ban.

While most food companies focused on claims that the policy would hurt smaller, more vulnerable businesses, Subway focused on the potential cost to its own business, estimating that the advertising restrictions would lead directly ‘to a reduction in footfall and business performance’. This contradicts other claims that the policy would not work to reduce consumption of unhealthy products.

Similarly, industry representatives warned that the policy would harm TfL and the local economy. In fact, TfL revenue increased slightly after the introduction of the advertising ban.

Not all business groups were fully transparent about their relationships. For instance, the British 
Takeaway Campaign lists Just Eat as a member, but its submission and public website failed to 
mention that it was founded by a PR agency on behalf of Just Eat.

Coalition-building was common, with advertising companies coalescing around advertising industry body Outsmart. Several companies referred to or used sections of the association’s response in their own statement.

Others attempted to undermine the restrictions by challenging the substantial evidence base without providing robust evidence of their own to back up these challenges. For example, the British Soft Drink Association claimed that ‘academic research has consistently failed to establish a direct link between food and drink marketing and childhood obesity, therefore we are not convinced by the proportionality of further restrictions.’

Similarly, McDonald’s argued that the evidence base was insufficient and offered to support ‘a London wide study of the causes of obesity’, with money and expertise.

Some companies and business associations shared research they had conducted or commissioned themselves. For example, emails suggest that KFC hired an agency to research ‘youth eating and snacking behaviour’ and invited officials to a research debrief at the offices of APCO, a registered lobbyist for KFC.

Outsmart and two other advertising industry members hinted at the potential for a legal challenge in their consultation responses. Outsmart wrote to GLA officials asking for the policy to be delayed by extending its implementation period, saying ‘we believe it would need to be at least six months after any policy announcement is made to prevent the threat of legal action’.

Speaking about the findings, the lead author Kathrin Lauber from the Tobacco Control Research 
Group at the University of Bath said: “The claims made by the industry actors who opposed the policy are largely not aligned with independent public health evidence but reminiscent of arguments commonly made in debates about the regulation of other unhealthy commodities such as tobacco and alcohol. Public health policymakers should rethink if and how they want to engage with companies whose commercial interests clearly stand in conflict with the policy objective.”

Dev Sharma, Chair of Bite Back 2030's Youth Board, said: “Billions are being spent giving junk food a starring role in children’s minds with advertising, marketing and promotions. I'm 16 and I’m being bombarded with junk food ads on my phone and computer, and I’m pretty sure it’s getting worse.

“They are everywhere, popping up when we’re watching videos, when I’m gaming with friends, and we don’t have an escape, especially not at the moment when we are living on our screens. It’s time to prioritise child health and take junk food out of the spotlight.”

Fran Bernhardt, Children’s Food Campaign Coordinator for Sustain, added: “This research uncovers companies’ enormous efforts to undermine and stall this policy. If only that resource and creativity could be redirected into healthier adverts, more time could be spent making local spaces better for all children to grow up in.

“As national junk food advertising restrictions come into play, companies may now be turning more attention to local advertising. So, it’s crucial that local government are aware of these tactics and have more support to put in place similar advertising policies to protect children’s health."

Caroline Cerny of the Obesity Health Alliance added: “It’s clear from this research that food 
companies put in phenomenal effort and resource to opposing a public health policy. What’s 
concerning is how much of this lobbying effort is conducted under the radar. It’s likely that the public lobbying we are seeing from industry against new Government plans to restrict junk food adverts on TV and online are also just the tip of the iceberg and it’s vital the Government sticks firmly to its plans to protect children from unhealthy food advertising.’

###

To arrange interviews with Kathrin Lauber please email press@bath.ac.uk

Kathrin Lauber is a PhD student with the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath

For interviews with other partners involved see contacts below:

Dev Sharma is Chair of Bite Back 2030's Youth Board. Winner of the 2020 Diana Award for his work fighting food poverty, he is the Member of Youth Parliament for Leicestershire; email 
leigh.boobyer@biteback2030.com  

Fran Bernhardt is the children’s food campaign coordinator for Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming; email fran@sustainweb.org

Caroline Cerny is the alliance lead at Obesity Health Alliance; email 
press@obesityhealthalliance.org.uk

The paper: Lauber K, Hunt D, Gilmore A, Rutter H, ‘Corporate political activity in opposition to unhealthy food and drink advertising restrictions across Transport for London: A qualitative case 
study’ is published in PLOS Medicine: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003695

NOTES

The University of Bath is one of the UK's leading universities both in terms of research and our 
reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and graduate prospects.

The University is rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the Government’s 
assessment of teaching quality in universities, meaning its teaching is of the highest quality in the UK.

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 research assessment 87 per cent of our research was defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. From developing fuel efficient cars of the future, to identifying infectious diseases more quickly, or working to improve the lives of female farmers in West Africa, research from Bath is making a difference around the world. Find out more: https://www.bath.ac.uk/topics/research/

Well established as a nurturing environment for enterprising minds, Bath is ranked highly in all 
national league tables. We are ranked 6th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2021, and 9th in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 and 10th in the Complete University Guide 2021. Our sports offering was rated as being in the world’s top 10 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2021.

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JOURNAL

PLoS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1003695 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Corporate political activity in the context of unhealthy food advertising restrictions across Transport for London: A qualitative case study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

 

Managing ecosystems under climate change requires adaptive, translational approaches

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE (AAAS)

In a Perspective, Stephen Jackson argues that a static view of ecosystem processes is no longer sufficient to inform conservation and natural resource management approaches. As climate change continues unabated, the management of ecosystems vulnerable to transformation requires novel adaptive and translational approaches. According to Jackson, a science of “transformational ecology” is needed to address related challenges. In the face of our changing climate, landscapes worldwide are changing – temperate forests across the Northern Hemisphere are giving way to shrublands while new forests are beginning to take hold in the Arctic tundra. While these observable changes have received increasing scientific attention, much of it has focused on identifying tipping points between stable ecological states. However, ecological transformation is a highly dynamic and complex process and can occur gradually over a variety of timescales. What’s more, existing cultural, political, historical, and institutional barriers are deeply embedded in conservation practice and resource management, making changes in current approaches particularly difficult. Nonetheless, Jackson shows how adaptive learning, creative approaches and close partnerships between scientists, decisionmakers and stakeholders are needed to address the uncertainties imposed by shifting ecological states. “Ecosystem transformation will characterize the globe for the foreseeable future, and many ecosystems emerging today will be transient, yielding to further transformation as climate change continues and ecological processes at different temporal scales keep pace,” Jackson writes. “Implementing effective, adaptative approaches to understanding and managing those transformations is an urgent challenge for the scientific, management and policy communities.”

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JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.abj6777 

ARTICLE TITLE

Climate change and transformational ecology

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Sep-2021

 

Rapid Arctic warming likely drives extreme winter weather events in the US

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE (AAAS)

Amid debate about the influence of changes in the Arctic on extreme weather elsewhere, a new study reports that rapid warming in the Arctic is a likely driver of the recent extreme winter weather in the United States. The findings, based on both observational and modeling data, establish a physical link between anthropogenic climate change and a phenomenon called the stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) disruption. While climate warming is anticipated to lead to increases in some weather extremes, including heat waves and precipitation events, it’s not widely considered to drive severe winter weather events. However, contrary to climate model predictions, winter weather extremes across the Northern Hemisphere – intense snowfall events and anomalous cold snaps – have reportedly become more frequent. One notable example of this is the U.S. Southern Plains cold wave of February 2021, which resulted in the collapse of the Texas energy grid and record damages estimated at nearly USD 200 billion, a cost substantially higher than recent high-impact hurricanes. It’s hypothesized that accelerated warming in the Arctic, or Arctic amplification (AA), is driving these events by disrupting the Arctic SPV – an atmospheric feature defined by the strong westerly winds that encircle the Arctic and, under normal conditions, keep its cold air contained. Whether AA and its impact on the SPV variability are physically linked to recent winter weather extremes has been unclear; observations and model predictions lack agreement. Building on previous work concerning SPV variability, Judah Cohen and colleagues combine observational analyses of the SPV over the last forty years with new climate model experiments. They reveal a physical link that implicates rapid Arctic warming and its effects, namely sea ice loss and increased Eurasian snow cover, with SPV disruption and the increased frequency of extreme mid-latitude winter weather. The results could be used to extend the warning lead time of cold extremes in Asia, Canada, and the United States, the authors say. “Future work should aim at further disentangling causal Arctic teleconnections for the cold and warm seasons in the mid-latitude regions, paying specific attention to high-impact extremes,” writes Dim Coumou in a related Perspective.

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JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.abi9167 

ARTICLE TITLE

Linking Arctic variability and change with extreme winter weather in the US

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Sep-2021

AER leads study to reveal extreme winter weather is related to arctic change

Peer-Reviewed Publication

VERISK

Lexington, Mass., September 2, 2021 — A new study shows that the frequency of polar vortex disruptions that is most favorable for extreme winter weather in the United States is increasing, and that Arctic change is likely contributing to the increasing trend. Led by Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), University Massachusetts Lowell and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the study is published in the September 3 issue of Science. AER is a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business.

The analysis demonstrates that a relatively obscure weak or disrupted state of the stratospheric polar vortex, where it takes on a stretched appearance rather than the more typical circular appearance, has been increasing over the satellite era (post 1979). Extreme winter weather in the US is more common when the polar vortex is stretched. Both observational analysis and numerical modeling experiments demonstrate that changes in the Arctic, including accelerated warming, melting sea ice and increasing Siberian snowfall, are favorable for stretching the polar vortex followed by extreme winter weather in North America east of the Rockies. Such a chain of events occurred in February 2021, when a stretched polar vortex preceded the destructive and deadly Texas cold wave.

During the past three decades, the Arctic has experienced the greatest climate change of anywhere on Earth, including rapidly rising temperatures, melting sea ice, diminishing spring snow cover, and increasing autumn snow cover. Rapid Arctic warming relative to the rest of the globe is referred to as Arctic amplification. The extent to which these rapid changes in the Arctic are influencing midlatitude weather has become a topic of vigorous debate by climate scientists and popular in the press.

“The publication of the paper is especially timely given the extreme winter of 2020/21: record warm Arctic, low Arctic sea ice, deep Siberian snows, a protracted and complex polar vortex disruption, record-breaking cold in the US, Europe and Asia, disruptive snowfalls in Europe and the US and most notably the record breaking and possibly unprecedented combination of cold and snow in Texas,” said Dr. Judah Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting at AER and lead author of the study.

Cohen adds, “Last winter the severe cold wave across Texas heated up the debate as to whether climate change can contribute to more severe winter weather with those arguing for and against. However, studies supporting or refuting the physical connection between climate change and the Texas cold wave and other recent US severe winter weather events don’t exist, until now. The study also provides cautionary evidence that a warming planet will not necessarily protect us from the devastating impacts of severe winter weather.”

The paper presents a physical mechanism of how climate change in general and Arctic change in particular are contributing to more severe winter weather despite an overall warming climate that has not been previously considered. Most theories on the connection between Arctic amplification and mid-latitude winter weather argue that the pathway is either through a wavier Jet Stream or sudden stratospheric warmings, which are the largest and most often studied disruptions to the polar vortex. This study provides compelling evidence that the strongest connection between the Arctic and mid-latitude weather, at least in the US, may be through this lesser known and weaker “stretched” disruption of the polar vortex.

These extreme winter weather events begin when a wave of high pressure between Northern Europe and the Urals and low pressure over East Asia undergoes amplification. Such an amplification can be forced by observed Arctic change during the fall season, and specifically by melting sea ice in the Barents-Kara Seas and heavier snowfall across Siberia. The excess energy from the Eurasian wave bounces or reflects off the polar vortex and is absorbed in a similar North American wave with high pressure over Alaska and the North Pacific and low pressure over eastern North America, causing rapid wave amplification. When atmospheric waves amplify, extreme weather is more likely.

UMass Lowell Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Prof. Mathew Barlow, a co-author on the study, added, “The synthesis of both observational analysis and computer model experiments is a particular strength of this study and greatly increases our confidence in the results. The dynamical pathway explored here – from surface climate change in the Arctic up to the polar stratosphere and then back down to the surface in the US – highlights one example of the wide range of impacts that climate change can have.”

Israeli collaborator Prof. Chaim Garfinkel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, concludes “There has been a long-standing contradiction between an apparent increase in cold extremes in winter in midlatitudes even as temperatures globally are warming. This study helps resolve this contradiction and highlights that an apparent increase in such midlatitude cold extremes in winter should not be used as an excuse to delay taking urgently needed action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

AER President Dr. Guy Seeley said: “We are very pleased to see this publication which reflects AER’s long term commitment to innovative scientific research on topics of vital interest to our customers and society at large.”

###

The research is funded by the US National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs and the European Research Council.

The study can be viewed here: https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abi9167

About Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER)

Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) provides science-based solutions to global environmental challenges. AER’s internationally renowned scientists and software engineers collaborate to transform state-of-the-art predictive science and analytical tools into practical systems that address both civilian government and defense needs for geophysical understanding, computer simulation, and forecasting. AER customers include government agencies and national laboratories, aerospace and defense contractors, and academia. Areas of expertise comprise atmospheric and environmental science, air quality, remote sensing, meteorology, oceanography, space science, climate change, and software engineering. A Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business, AER was established in 1977 and is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts. Visit www.aer.com.

Contact:

Ali Krueger Herbert
Verisk

201-469-3998
ali.krueger@verisk.com

---

JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.abi9167 

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Sep-2021

 

Cavalier King Charles spaniels carry more harmful genetic variants than other breeds

Genomic study also identified genetic variants linked to a common heart condition in the breed

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: COMPARISONS OF DACHSHUNDS WITH AND WITHOUT SIGNS OF HEART DISEASE WERE USED TO HELP IDENTIFY MUTATIONS THAT POTENTIALLY PREDISPOSE CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS TO DEVELOP MMVD view more 

CREDIT: MÅNS ENGELBREKTSSON, SWEDISH KENNEL CLUB, CC-BY 4.0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/)

Recent dog breeding practices have loaded up cavalier King Charles spaniels with disease-causing mutations, including variants linked to the common heart condition, myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Erik Axelsson of Uppsala University and colleagues published these new findings September 2nd in the journal PLOS Genetics.

The past 300 years of dog breeding have created an incredible diversity of breeds with various sizes, shapes, and abilities. Unfortunately, this process has also caused many breeds to become more inbred and more likely to inherit genetic diseases. The study's researchers wanted to know whether recent breeding practices had increased the number of disease-causing variants in dogs. They sequenced entire genomes from 20 dogs from eight common breeds, such as beagles, German shepherds, and golden retrievers. They found that the cavalier King Charles spaniel, which experienced the most intense breeding, carried more harmful genetic variants than the other breeds they examined.

The researchers also looked for genetic variants in the cavalier King Charles spaniel genomes linked to MMVD. In this condition, the mitral valve in the heart degenerates, allowing blood to leak from the left ventricle back into the left atrium. They identified two genetic variants linked to the disease, which appear to regulate a gene that codes for a common protein in heart muscle. The findings offer a potential explanation for why the cavalier King Charles spaniel is predisposed to develop the disease.

The especially large number of potentially harmful genes in the genomes of cavalier King Charles spaniels, compared to other dogs, likely resulted from its breeding history. Records suggest that small spaniel-type dogs have existed for at least 1,000 years and were popular at royal courts for several hundred years throughout Asia and Europe, including at the court of King Charles II (1630-1685).  These spaniels experienced several "bottlenecks" where only a small percentage of the population passed on their genes to the next generation. The bottlenecks may have made the harmful genes more common in the cavalier King Charles spaniel genome before the dog achieved recognition as a breed in 1945.

Axelsson adds, “We find that recent breeding may have led to an accelerated accumulation of harmful mutations in certain dog breeds. In the Cavalier King Charles spaniel specifically, one or several of these mutations affect heart muscle protein NEBL and may predispose this breed to devastating heart disease.”

 

###

 

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Genetics:

http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1009726

Citation: Axelsson E, Ljungvall I, Bhoumik P, Conn LB, Muren E, Ohlsson Å, et al. (2021) The genetic consequences of dog breed formation—Accumulation of deleterious genetic variation and fixation of mutations associated with myxomatous mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels. PLoS Genet 17(9): e1009726. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009726

Funding: Funding from Elanco (previously Novartis Animal Health) to KLT covered the generation of WGS data and parts of EA’s salary. Elanco (previously Novartis Animal Health) influenced the choice of dog breeds sequenced in this study, participated in data analysis and edited and reviewed the manuscript. Two grants from the Agria and SKK Research Foundation, one to IL (19969) and one to RH (P2011-0021), provided funding for sampling of dogs. EA was funded by a grant from the Swedish Research council (2016-03826) and a grant from FORMAS (2016-01312), both of which contributed to EA’s salary. KLT is a Distinguished Professor at the Swedish Research Council (D0816101). PB’s salary was funded by a Novartis postdoctoral fellowship (https://www.novartis.com/our-science/postdoc-program). With the exception of Elanco (see above) the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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JOURNAL

PLoS Genetics

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgen.1009726 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

COI STATEMENT

Competing interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Elanco (previously Novartis Animal Health) funded the generation of WGS data.

 

Indian wolf among world’s most endangered and distinct wolves

Scientists sequence Indian wolf genome for 1st time

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS

 

IMAGE: THIS ILLUSTRATION INDICATES THE RANGES OF HOLARCTIC, TIBETAN AND INDIAN WOLF POPULATIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. view more 

CREDIT: LLLUSTRATION BY LAUREN HENNELLY, UC DAVIS

The Indian wolf could be far more endangered than previously recognized, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the scientists who sequenced the Indian wolf’s genome for the first time. 

The findings, published in the journal Molecular Ecology, reveal the Indian wolf to be one of the world’s most endangered and evolutionarily distinct gray wolf populations. The study indicates that Indian wolves could represent the most ancient surviving lineage of wolves.

The Indian wolf is restricted to lowland India and Pakistan, where its grassland habitat is threatened primarily by human encroachment and land conversion.

“Wolves are one of the last remaining large carnivores in Pakistan, and many of India’s large carnivores are endangered,” said lead author Lauren Hennelly, a doctoral student with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Mammalian Ecology Conservation Unit. “I hope that knowing they are so unique and found only there will inspire local people and scientists to learn more about conserving these wolves and grassland habitats.” 

CAPTION

Stemming from an ancient lineage, Indian wolves are one of the most evolutionarily distinct and endangered gray wolf populations.

CREDIT

Mihir Godbole/The Grasslands Trust

‘A game-changer’

The authors sequenced genomes of four Indian and two Tibetan wolves and included 31 additional canid genomes to resolve their evolutionary and phylogenomic history. They found that Tibetan and Indian wolves are distinct from each other and from other wolf populations.

The study recommends that Indian and Tibetan wolf populations be recognized as evolutionarily significant units, an interim designation that would help prioritize their conservation while their taxonomic classification is reevaluated.

“This paper may be a game-changer for the species to persist in these landscapes,” said co-author Bilal Habib, a conservation biologist with the Wildlife Institute of India. “People may realize that the species with whom we have been sharing the landscape is the most distantly divergent wolf alive today.”

Indian and western Asian wolf populations are currently considered as one population. The study’s finding that Indian wolves are distinct from western Asian wolves indicates their distribution is much smaller than previously thought.

An ancient lineage

Gray wolves are one of the most widely distributed land mammals in the world, found in snow, forests, deserts and grasslands of the Northern Hemisphere. Wolves may have survived the ice ages in isolated regions called refugia, potentially diverging into distinct evolutionarily lineages.

Recent genomic studies confirmed that the Tibetan wolf is an ancient and distinct evolutionary lineage. However, until this study, what was known about the evolutionary history of Indian wolves was based on mitochondrial DNA evidence, which is inherited only from the mother. That evidence suggested that the Indian wolf diverged more recently than the Tibetan wolf.

In contrast, this study used the entire genome — the nuclear DNA containing nearly all of the genes reflecting the wolf’s evolutionary history. It showed that the Indian wolf was likely even more divergent than the Tibetan wolf.

“Mitochondrial sequencing alone was not sufficient to make a case,” said senior author Ben Sacks, director of the Mammalian and Ecology Conservation Unit at UC Davis. “Nuclear DNA is the big picture, and it changes the picture. You might assume most genetic diversity of gray wolves is in the northern region, where most wolves are found today. But these southern populations harbor most of the evolutionary diversity and are also the most endangered.”

Both Tibetan and Indian wolves stem from an ancient lineage that predates the rise of Holarctic wolves, found in North America and Eurasia. Sacks said this study indicates Indian wolves could represent the most ancient surviving lineage.

Indian wolf map (IMAGE)

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS

CAPTION

This illustration of an Indian wolf indicates its currently recognized distribution compared with its evolutionarily distinct clade, highlighting how its population is likely smaller than thought.

CREDIT

Illustration by Lauren Hennelly/UC Davis

Charismatic competition

Attention for gray wolves in India is often eclipsed by animals considered more charismatic, such as tigers, lions and leopards. Hennelly, who dreamed of being a wolf biologist in fifth grade, was not aware there were wolves in the region until she conducted field work on birds in the Himalayas. When the opportunity to study wolf howls and behavior in India arose as a Fulbright scholar, she jumped at the chance and began the work and collaborations that led to her team becoming the first to sequence the Indian wolf’s genome. 

“I knew that if we sequenced the wolves and the results indicated a divergent lineage, answering that question could really help their conservation at a policy scale that could trickle down and bolster local efforts to help protect these wolves,” Hennelly said.

A separate study led by Sacks about endangered red wolves appears on the cover of the same Molecular Ecology issue in September. Addressing a 30-year-long controversy, that study shows that red wolves are not a colonial-era hybrid between gray wolves and coyotes, as some have argued, but the descendant of a pre-historic North American wolf that diverged from coyotes over 20,000 years ago. Both studies have substantial implications for wolf conservation.

###

The Indian wolf study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of India, the Wildlife Institute of India, UK Wolf Conservation Trust and UC Davis. Hennelly was also supported by fellowship grants from National Science Foundation and UC Davis.​​ The red wolf study was funded by a variety of sources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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JOURNAL

Molecular Ecology

DOI

10.1111/mec.16127 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Ancient divergence of Indian and Tibetan wolves revealed by recombination-aware phylogenomics

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Aug-2021