Genetic monitoring of Grey wolf (Canis lupus lupus) in Central Europe

Bc. Vojtěch Zeman

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The number of wolves (Canis lupus) in the Czech Republic has been increasing due to the ongoing expansion of populations from neighboring countries. The Czech Republic is considered a genetic crossroad as individuals from multiple populations come into contact in this area. In this thesis, non-invasive genetic monitoring was implemented to assess the information about the presence of wolves in the Czech Republic and its surrounding areas and to determine their population origin. A total number of 589 samples was analyzed between January 2020 and April 2023 and genotyped using 20 microsatellite loci with a genotyping success rate of approximately 50%. In total, 183 unique wolf genotypes were identified, and no wolf-dog hybrids were detected. Population affiliation was determined by the Bayesian Clustering Analysis using three comparative datasets of wolves with known origins (Alpine, Central European, and Carpathian populations). The majority of individuals (115) clustered predominantly with the Central European population, and the remaining 68 individuals were assigned predominantly to the Carpathian population. None of the 183 individuals appeared to have an exclusive origin in the Alpine population. Principal Coordinates analysis further supported the dissimilarity of the Alpine population from the tested genotypes. Individuals from the Central European population displayed lower genetic diversity compared to the individuals assigned to the Carpathian population as they exhibited lower values for the number of effective alleles, fixation index, and heterozygosity while maintaining a higher coefficient of inbreeding. The spatial distribution of samples revealed wolf presence in most of the mountain ranges along Czech borders and indicated that a certain level of gene flow is present between the populations. This was further supported by the discovery of long-distance movements between Javorníky Mts. in Slovakia and Orlické Mts. in the Czech Republic.

Keywords

Canis lupus, microsatellites, non-invasive samples, population, DNA analysis, genetic monitoring

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 20. 8. 2023

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Mgr. Barbora Černá Bolfíková, Ph.D.
• Reader: Steve Smith, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / specializace:
Wildlife and Livestock Production, Management and Conservation / Wildlife Management and Conservation