Population genetic structure of wolves in the northwestern Dinaric-Balkan region

The Balkan Peninsula and the Dinaric Mountains possess extraordinary
biodiversity and support one of the largest and most diverse wolf (Canis
lupus) populations in Europe. Results obtained with diverse genetic
markers show west-east substructure, also seen in various other species,
despite the absence of obvious barriers to movement. However, the spatial
extent of the genetic clusters remains unresolved, and our aim was to
combine fine-scale sampling with population and spatial genetic analyses
to improve resolution of wolf genetic clusters. We analyzed 16 autosomal
microsatellites from 255 wolves sampled in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina (BIH), and Serbia, and documented three genetic clusters.
These comprised (1) Slovenia and the regions of Gorski kotar and Lika in
Croatia, (2) the region of Dalmatia in southern Croatia and BIH, and (3)
Serbia. When we mapped the clusters geographically, we observed west-east
genetic structure across the study area, together with some specific
structure in BIH – Dalmatia. We observed that cluster 1 had a smaller
effective population size, consistent with earlier reports of population
recovery since the 1980s. Our results provide foundation for future
genomic studies that would further resolve the observed west-east
population structure and its evolutionary history in wolves and other taxa
in the region, and identify focal areas for habitat conservation. They
also have immediate importance for conservation planning for the wolves in
one of the most important parts of the species’ European range.