Data from: Non-invasive genetic monitoring involving citizen science enables reconstruction of current pack dynamics in a re-establishing wolf population

Background: Carnivores are re-establishing in many human-populated areas, where their presence is often contentious. Reaching consensus over management decisions is often hampered by a dispute about the size of the local carnivore population. Understanding the reproductive dynamics and individual movements of the carnivores can provide support for management decisions, but individual-level information can be difficult to obtain from elusive, wide-ranging species. Non-invasive genetic sampling can yield such information, but makes subsequent reconstruction of population history challenging due to incomplete population coverage and error-prone data. Here, we combine a collaborative, volunteer-based sampling scheme with Bayesian pedigree reconstruction to describe the pack dynamics of an establishing grey wolf (Canis lupus) population in south-west Finland, where wolf breeding was recorded in 2006 for the first time in over a century. Results: Using DNA extracted mainly from faeces collected since 2008, we identified 81 individual wolves and assigned credible full parentages to 70 of these and partial parentages to a further 9, revealing 7 breeding pairs. Individuals used a range of strategies to obtain breeding opportunities, including dispersal to established or new packs, long-distance migration and inheriting breeding roles. Gene flow occurred between all packs but inbreeding events were rare. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that characterizing ongoing pack dynamics can provide detailed, locally-relevant insight into the ecology of contentious species such as the wolf. Involving various stakeholders in data collection makes these results more likely to be accepted as unbiased and hence reliable grounds for management decisions.研究背景：食肉目动物正在诸多人口稠密区域重新定居，而其在这些区域的存在往往引发争议。针对管理决策达成共识的进程，常因当地食肉动物种群规模的争议而受阻。解析食肉动物的繁殖动态与个体迁移模式可为管理决策提供支撑，但针对行踪诡秘、活动范围广阔的物种，获取个体层面的信息往往难度极大。非侵入式遗传采样可获取此类信息，但由于种群覆盖不全且数据易出错，后续的种群历史重构工作往往颇具挑战。本研究结合基于志愿者协作的采样方案与贝叶斯（Bayesian）谱系重构方法，对芬兰西南部正在定居的灰狼（Canis lupus）种群的社群动态展开描述——该区域在2006年才记录到一个多世纪以来的首次狼类繁殖事件。 研究结果：本研究主要利用2008年以来采集的粪便样本提取的DNA，共鉴定出81只灰狼个体，其中70只被确定了完整可信的亲权关系，另有9只获得了部分亲权信息，进而揭示了7个繁殖配偶对。个体获取繁殖机会的策略多样，包括扩散至已建立的社群或新社群、长距离迁移以及继承繁殖地位。所有社群间均存在基因交流，但近交事件极为罕见。 研究结论：本研究结果表明，解析正在进行的社群动态，可为狼这类存在争议的物种的生态学研究提供细致且贴合当地场景的认知。让各类利益相关方参与数据采集工作，可使研究结果更易被认可为无偏倚的依据，进而成为管理决策的可靠支撑。