title: Dietary differentiation and the evolution of population genetic structure in a highly mobile carnivore.
abstract: Recent studies on highly mobile carnivores revealed cryptic population genetic structures correlated to transitions in habitat types and prey species composition. This led to the hypothesis that natal-habitat-biased dispersal may be responsible for generating population genetic structure. However, direct evidence for the concordant ecological and genetic differentiation between populations of highly mobile mammals is rare. To address this we analyzed stable isotope profiles (δ(13)C and δ(15)N values) for Eastern European wolves (Canis lupus) as a quantifiable proxy measure of diet for individuals that had been genotyped in an earlier study (showing cryptic genetic structure), to provide a quantitative assessment of the relationship between individual foraging behavior and genotype. We found a significant correlation between genetic distances and dietary differentiation (explaining 46% of the variation) in both the marginal test and crucially, when geographic distance was accounted for as a co-variable. These results, interpreted in the context of other possible mechanisms such as allopatry and isolation by distance, reinforce earlier studies suggesting that diet and associated habitat choice are influencing the structuring of populations in highly mobile carnivores.
authors: School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
authors: Małgorzata
authors: M
authors: Pilot
authors: Włodzimierz
authors: W
authors: Jędrzejewski
authors: Vadim E
authors: VE
authors: Sidorovich
authors: Wolfram
authors: W
authors: Meier-Augenstein
authors: A Rus
authors: AR
authors: Hoelzel
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D060435:Carnivory / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D019596:Wolves / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes