Genotypes of Italian free-ranging dogs

Domestication has greatly changed the social and reproductive behavior of dogs relative to that of wild members of the genus Canis, which typically exhibit social monogamy and extended parental care. Unlike a typical grey wolf pack that consists of a single breeding pair and their offspring from multiple seasons, a group of free-ranging dogs (FRDs) can include multiple breeding individuals of both sexes. To understand the consequences of this shift in reproductive behavior, we reconstructed the genetic pedigree of an FRD population and assessed the kinship patterns in social groups, based on genome-wide SNP genotypes. Consistent with behavioral observations, the mating system of the study population was characterized by polygynandry. Instead of the discreet family units observed in wolves, FRDs were linked by a network of kinship relationships that spread across packs. However, we also observed reproduction of the same male-female pairs in multiple seasons, retention of adult offspring ...与犬属（Canis）野生同类相比，驯化极大地改变了犬类的社会与繁殖行为——野生犬属动物普遍实行社会单配制，并会提供延长的双亲抚育。与由单一繁殖配对及其多季后代组成的典型灰狼种群不同，自由活动家犬（free-ranging dogs, FRDs）群体可包含多只不同性别的繁殖个体。为阐明繁殖行为这一转变带来的影响，本研究基于全基因组单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP）基因型，重构了一个FRD种群的遗传谱系，并评估了其社会群体内的亲缘关系模式。与行为观测结果一致，该研究种群的交配体系以多配多雄多雌制（polygynandry）为特征。与灰狼种群中观测到的离散家庭单元不同，FRDs通过跨群体的亲缘关系网络彼此关联。不过，本研究同时观测到，同一雌雄配对会在多个繁殖季进行交配，且成年后代会被留存于群体中……