2007/03/09 by Deborah Randall, John P. Pollinger, Robert K. Wayne +3 · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Veterinary · #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Genetic diversity and population structure #Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies #Biological dispersal #Inbreeding #Biology #Inbreeding avoidance #Mating #Mating system #Philopatry #Ecology #Zoology #Kinship #Population #Demography #Mate choice
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/beheco/arm010
openalex publication_date 2007/03/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23
Molecular tools have enabled wildlife researchers to obtain accurate information on the kinship, mating behavior, and dispersal of individuals. We genotyped 192 Ethiopian wolves (n = 29 packs) in the Bale Mountains for 17 microsatellite loci to 1) elucidate kinship within and between packs, 2) assess parentage of pups, and 3) evaluate whether inbreeding is avoided by dispersal and/or mating behavior. Mean pairwise relatedness within packs (R = 0.39) was significantly greater than that estimated from random assignment of individuals to packs. However, breeding pairs were most often unrelated, suggesting that female-biased dispersal reduces inbreeding. We assigned maternity to 49 pups and paternity to 47 pups (n = 12 litters) using a combination of exclusion, likelihood analyses (using CERVUS software), and sibship reconstruction. Multiple paternity occurred in 33% of litters; extrapack paternity accounted for 28% of all resolved paternities, occurring in 50% of litters. We found no evidence that extrapack copulations reduce inbreeding; however, more detailed analyses may elucidate the effect of recent population declines and demographic disturbances due to recurring disease outbreaks. The adaptive advantages of female-biased dispersal and the observed mating system are discussed in relation to Ethiopian wolf sociobiology and ecology.