title: DNA analysis of ancient dogs of the Americas: identifying possible founding haplotypes and reconstructing population histories.
abstract: As dogs have traveled with humans to every continent, they can potentially serve as an excellent proxy when studying human migration history. Past genetic studies into the origins of Native American dogs have used portions of the hypervariable region (HVR) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to indicate that prior to European contact the dogs of Native Americans originated in Eurasia. In this study, we summarize past DNA studies of both humans and dogs to discuss their population histories in the Americas. We then sequenced a portion of the mtDNA HVR of 42 pre-Columbian dogs from three sites located in Illinois, coastal British Columbia, and Colorado, and identify four novel dog mtDNA haplotypes. Next, we analyzed a dataset comprised of all available ancient dog sequences from the Americas to infer the pre-Columbian population history of dogs in the Americas. Interestingly, we found low levels of genetic diversity for some populations consistent with the possibility of deliberate breeding practices. Furthermore, we identified multiple putative founding haplotypes in addition to dog haplotypes that closely resemble those of wolves, suggesting admixture with North American wolves or perhaps a second domestication of canids in the Americas. Notably, initial effective population size estimates suggest at least 1000 female dogs likely existed in the Americas at the time of the first known canid burial, and that population size increased gradually over time before stabilizing roughly 1200 years before present.
authors.affiliation: School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsey E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.affiliation: Kemp Lab of Molecular Anthropology and Ancient DNA, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Judd
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grier
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA; Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 23390 Road K, Cortez, CO 81321-9408, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Scott G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ortman
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Anthropology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA. Electronic address: malhi@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Ripan S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Malhi
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: Ancient DNA; Canis lupus familiaris; Domestication; Mitochondrial DNA; New World; Population genetics