Data from: North-south differentiation and a region of high diversity in European wolves (Canis lupus)

European wolves (Canis lupus) show population genetic structure in the absence of geographic barriers, and across relatively short distances for this highly mobile species. Additional information on the location of and divergence between population clusters is required, particularly because wolves are currently recolonizing parts of Europe. We evaluated genetic structure in 177 wolves from 11 countries using over 67K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. The results supported previous findings of an isolated Italian population with lower genetic diversity than that observed across other areas of Europe. Wolves from the remaining countries were primarily structured in a north-south axis, with Croatia, Bulgaria, and Greece (Dinaric-Balkan) differentiated from northcentral wolves that included individuals from Finland, Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia. Carpathian Mountain wolves in central Europe had genotypes intermediate between those identified in northcentral Europe and the Dinaric-Balkan cluster. Overall, individual genotypes from northcentral Europe suggested high levels of admixture. We observed high diversity within Belarus, with wolves from western and northern Belarus representing the two most differentiated groups within northcentral Europe. Our results support the presence of at least three major clusters (Italy, Carpathians, Dinaric-Balkan) in southern and central Europe. Individuals from Croatia also appeared differentiated from wolves in Greece and Bulgaria. Expansion from glacial refugia, adaptation to local environments, and human-related factors such as landscape fragmentation and frequent killing of wolves in some areas may have contributed to the observed patterns. Our findings can help inform conservation management of these apex predators and the ecosystems of which they are part.

欧洲灰狼（Canis lupus）作为一种高度移动的物种，在无地理屏障的条件下，仍能在相对较短的空间范围内展现出种群遗传结构。目前亟需获取种群集群的分布位置及其分化的相关信息，尤其是考虑到灰狼当前正在欧洲部分区域重新拓殖。本研究利用超过67K个单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP）位点，对来自11个国家的177只灰狼的种群遗传结构进行了分析。研究结果验证了此前的发现：意大利种群为孤立种群，其遗传多样性低于欧洲其他区域的灰狼种群。其余国家的灰狼种群主要呈现南北向的遗传结构分化：克罗地亚、保加利亚与希腊的种群（狄那里克-巴尔干种群），与来自芬兰、拉脱维亚、白俄罗斯、波兰及俄罗斯的中北部灰狼种群存在显著分化。中欧的喀尔巴阡山地灰狼种群，其基因型介于欧洲中北部种群与狄那里克-巴尔干种群之间。总体而言，欧洲中北部种群的个体基因型展现出较高的遗传混合程度。我们在白俄罗斯种群中观测到较高的遗传多样性，其中来自白俄罗斯西部与北部的灰狼构成了欧洲中北部种群内分化程度最高的两个类群。本研究结果证实，欧洲南部与中部至少存在三大遗传集群（意大利种群、喀尔巴阡种群、狄那里克-巴尔干种群）。克罗地亚的灰狼个体也与希腊及保加利亚的灰狼种群存在明显分化。冰川避难所种群扩张、对本地环境的适应，以及人类活动相关因素（如景观破碎化、部分区域频繁猎杀灰狼），可能共同促成了本次观测到的遗传结构模式。本研究结果可为这些顶级捕食者及其所在生态系统的保护管理提供科学参考。