Data from: Assessment of coyote-wolf-dog admixture using ancestry-informative diagnostic SNPs

The evolutionary importance of hybridization as a source of new adaptive
genetic variation is rapidly gaining recognition. Hybridization between
coyotes and wolves may have introduced adaptive alleles into the coyote
gene pool that facilitated an expansion in their geographic range and
dietary niche. Furthermore, hybridization between coyotes and domestic
dogs may facilitate adaptation to human-dominated environments. We
genotyped 63 ancestry-informative single nucleotide polymorphisms in 427
canids in order to examine the prevalence, spatial distribution, and
ecology of admixture in eastern coyotes. Using multivariate methods and
Bayesian clustering analyses, we estimated the relative contributions of
western coyotes, western and eastern wolves, and domestic dogs to the
admixed ancestry of Ohio and eastern coyotes. We found that eastern
coyotes form an extensive hybrid swarm, with all our samples having
varying levels of admixture. Ohio coyotes, previously thought to be free
of admixture, are also highly admixed with wolves and dogs. Coyotes in
areas of high deer density are genetically more wolf-like, suggesting that
natural selection for wolf-like traits may result in local adaptation at a
fine geographic scale. Our results, in light of other previously published
studies of admixture in Canis, reveal a pattern of sex-biased
hybridization, presumably generated by male wolves and dogs mating with
female coyotes. This study is the most comprehensive genetic survey of
admixture in eastern coyotes and demonstrates that the frequency and scope
of hybridization can be quantified with relatively few
ancestry-informative markers.