The effective size of the German wolf population from molecular and life history data

The effective population size is a critical parameter in evolutionary biology and conservation of populations, yet it can be notoriously difficult to estimate. Many methods are available to estimate Ne with molecular methods, but these methods can be very sensitive to underlying assumptions. In order to detect biases in commonly used molecular methods, we present two types of independent datasets with which the effective population size of the German wolf population can be estimated. The first is a life history dataset that provides per individual the life span, the life-time reproductive effort and life-time reproductive success. The second dataset represents wolf genotypes in Germany across three time periodes, representing three age cohorts., The DBBW (Dokumentations- und Beratungsstelle des Bundes zum Thema Wolf) hosts a compilation of wolf data collected in the German federal states and makes it accessible to the general public (https://www.dbb-wolf.de/).The data used here cover the occupation of wolf territories in Germany from 2000 to 2020. Each monitoring year (from the 1st of May until the 30th of April the next year) wolf territories were evaluated and the following data were recorded: the name and location of the territory, whether a territory was occupied by a solitary animal, a pair or a pack, the genetic identification code of each animal, and the number of pups born each year in every territory. Most of these data are based on genetic analyses, accompanied by camera trap data.
Individual wolves are continuously monitored and genotyped on the basis of various DNA sources, such as scat, hairs, or kill swabs at 13 autosomal microsatellite loci and 2 sex-linked markers according to Jarausch et al. (2021). Genotype da..., , # The effective size of the German wolf population from molecular and life history data

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0c3](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0c3)

## Description of the data and file structure

The spreadsheets here accompany the manuscript \"Estimating the effective size of European wolf populations\", and provide life-history traits (life span, reproductive effort, reproductive output) and genotype information for wolves from Germany in the period 2006-2020.

### Files and variables

#### File: German-wolves-Life-History-traits.xlsx

**Description:** The data presented here represent estimated reproductive effort, net reproductive output and estimate age at death of female and male wolves in Germany in the period 2006-2020, with their respective unique identifier in the CE wolf database.

Only adults deceased in that period are included.

The source data can be viewed online at [https://www.dbb-wolf.de/Wolfsvorkommen/territorien/entwicklung-der-rudel](https://w...