Logo image
The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas

Maire Ni Leathlobhair, Angela R. Perri, Evan K. Irving-Pease, Kelsey E. Witt, Anna Linderholm, James Haile, Ophelie Lebrasseur, Carly Ameen, Jeffrey Blick, Adam R. Boyko, …
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.361(6397), pp.81-85
07/06/2018
DOI: 10.1126/science.aao4776
PMCID: PMC7116273
PMID: 29976825
url
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao4776View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Dogs were present in the Americas before the arrival of European colonists, but the origin and fate of these precontact dogs are largely unknown. We sequenced 71 mitochondrial and 7 nuclear genomes fromancient North American and Siberian dogs from time frames spanning similar to 9000 years. Our analysis indicates that American dogs were not derived from North American wolves. Instead, American dogs form a monophyletic lineage that likely originated in Siberia and dispersed into the Americas alongside people. After the arrival of Europeans, native American dogs almost completely disappeared, leaving a minimal genetic legacy in modern dog populations. The closest detectable extant lineage to precontact American dogs is the canine transmissible venereal tumor, a contagious cancer clone derived froman individual dog that lived up to 8000 years ago.
Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics

Details

Metrics

Logo image