Geographic patterns in morphometric and genetic variation for coyote populations with emphasis on southeastern coyotes

Prior to 1900, coyotes (Canis latrans) were restricted to the western and central regions of North America, but by the early 2000s coyotes became ubiquitous throughout the eastern United States. Information regarding morphological and genetic structure of coyote populations in the southeastern United States is limited, and where data exist, they are rarely compared to those from other regions of North America. We assessed geographic patterns in morphology and genetics of coyotes with special consideration of coyotes in the southeastern United States. Mean body mass of coyote populations increased along a west-to-east gradient, with southeastern coyotes being intermediate to western and northeastern coyotes. Similarly, principal component analysis of body mass and linear body measurements suggested that southeastern coyotes were intermediate to western and northeastern coyotes in body size but exhibited shorter tails and ears from other populations. Genetic analyses indicated that southe...

1900年以前，郊狼（Coyote，Canis latrans）的分布范围仅局限于北美洲西部与中部区域，但到21世纪初，郊狼已遍及美国东部全境。目前关于美国东南部郊狼种群的形态学与遗传学结构的相关信息较为有限，即便存在相关数据，也极少与北美其他区域的同类数据进行对比分析。本研究针对郊狼的形态与遗传特征的地理分布模式展开评估，重点关注美国东南部的郊狼种群。研究发现，郊狼种群的平均体重呈现出由西向东递增的地理梯度，美国东南部的郊狼体重介于西部与东北部郊狼种群之间。类似地，针对体重与身体线性度量指标的主成分分析结果显示，东南部郊狼的体型大小同样介于西部与东北部郊狼之间，但相较于其他种群，它们拥有更短的尾长与耳长。遗传分析表明，东南部……