Wolves at the crossroad: fission-fusion range biogeography in the Western Carpathians and Central Europe

Aim: Population fragmentation represents a leitmotif of conservation biology, but the impact of population reconnection is less well studied. The recent recolonization of large carnivores in Europe is a good model for studying this phenomenon. We aim to show novel data regarding distribution and population genetic structure of the grey wolf in Central Europe, a region considered a frequent crossroad and contact zone of different phylogeographic lineages, in a biogeographic context.
Location: Western Carpathians, Central Europe.
Methods: In concordance with the presumption of a highly mobile mammal, individual-based Bayesian clustering and a posteriori definition of populations were used. Integrating the frameworks of landscape genetics and biogeography enabled the identification of transitions in population architecture. These patterns could be ascribed to isolating factors based on historical knowledge about species demography.
Results: Genetic differentiation mirrors population iso...