ena-STUDY-CENTRE FOR GEOGENETICS-01-03-2019-09:07:38:411-30
Specialised sledge dogs accompanied the Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4,500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2,000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Paleo-Inuit dogs, and aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1,000 BP. We also identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska.
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4,500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2,000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Paleo-Inuit dogs, and aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1,000 BP. We also identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska.