Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples
Abstract After centuries of decline and protracted bottlenecks, the peninsular Italian wolf population has naturally recovered. However, an exhaustive comprehension of the effects of such a conservation success is still limited by the reduced availability of historical data. Therefore, in this study...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84319-x |
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| author | Elena Fabbri Antonia Vecchiotti Federica Mattucci Edoardo Velli Vilde Arntzen Engdal Nicola Baccetti Adriano De Faveri Pavel Hulva Barbora Černá Bolfíková Urmas Saarma Elisabetta Cilli Romolo Caniglia |
| author_facet | Elena Fabbri Antonia Vecchiotti Federica Mattucci Edoardo Velli Vilde Arntzen Engdal Nicola Baccetti Adriano De Faveri Pavel Hulva Barbora Černá Bolfíková Urmas Saarma Elisabetta Cilli Romolo Caniglia |
| author_sort | Elena Fabbri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract After centuries of decline and protracted bottlenecks, the peninsular Italian wolf population has naturally recovered. However, an exhaustive comprehension of the effects of such a conservation success is still limited by the reduced availability of historical data. Therefore, in this study, we morphologically and genetically analyzed historical and contemporary wolf samples, also exploiting the optimization of an innovative bone DNA extraction method, to describe the morphological variability of the subspecies and its genetic diversity during the last 30 years. We obtained high amplification and genotyping success rates for tissue, blood and also petrous bone DNA samples. Multivariate, clustering and variability analyses confirmed that the Apennine wolf population is genetically and morphologically well-distinguishable from both European wolves and dogs, with no natural immigration from other populations, while its genetic variability has remained low across the last three decades, without significant changes between historical and contemporary specimens. This study highlights the scientific value of well-maintained museum collections, demonstrates that petrous bones represent reliable DNA sources, and emphasizes the need to genetically long-term monitor the dynamics of peculiar wolf populations to ensure appropriate conservation management actions. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-13aaca8ca67a4c55b6ba1184c8c0c02b2025-02-09T12:33:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111510.1038/s41598-024-84319-xMuseomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samplesElena Fabbri0Antonia Vecchiotti1Federica Mattucci2Edoardo Velli3Vilde Arntzen Engdal4Nicola Baccetti5Adriano De Faveri6Pavel Hulva7Barbora Černá Bolfíková8Urmas Saarma9Elisabetta Cilli10Romolo Caniglia11Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Biodiversity Management and Monitoring Office, Majella National ParkUnit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life SciencesZoological Museum, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Zoological Museum, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityFaculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life SciencesDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of TartuDepartment of Cultural Heritage, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of BolognaUnit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Abstract After centuries of decline and protracted bottlenecks, the peninsular Italian wolf population has naturally recovered. However, an exhaustive comprehension of the effects of such a conservation success is still limited by the reduced availability of historical data. Therefore, in this study, we morphologically and genetically analyzed historical and contemporary wolf samples, also exploiting the optimization of an innovative bone DNA extraction method, to describe the morphological variability of the subspecies and its genetic diversity during the last 30 years. We obtained high amplification and genotyping success rates for tissue, blood and also petrous bone DNA samples. Multivariate, clustering and variability analyses confirmed that the Apennine wolf population is genetically and morphologically well-distinguishable from both European wolves and dogs, with no natural immigration from other populations, while its genetic variability has remained low across the last three decades, without significant changes between historical and contemporary specimens. This study highlights the scientific value of well-maintained museum collections, demonstrates that petrous bones represent reliable DNA sources, and emphasizes the need to genetically long-term monitor the dynamics of peculiar wolf populations to ensure appropriate conservation management actions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84319-xCanis lupus italicusConservation managementGenetic variability patternsHistorical biological samplesApennine Italian wolvesMuseomics |
| spellingShingle | Elena Fabbri Antonia Vecchiotti Federica Mattucci Edoardo Velli Vilde Arntzen Engdal Nicola Baccetti Adriano De Faveri Pavel Hulva Barbora Černá Bolfíková Urmas Saarma Elisabetta Cilli Romolo Caniglia Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples Scientific Reports Canis lupus italicus Conservation management Genetic variability patterns Historical biological samples Apennine Italian wolves Museomics |
| title | Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples |
| title_full | Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples |
| title_fullStr | Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples |
| title_full_unstemmed | Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples |
| title_short | Museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) samples |
| title_sort | museomics and morphological analyses of historical and contemporary peninsular italian wolf canis lupus italicus samples |
| topic | Canis lupus italicus Conservation management Genetic variability patterns Historical biological samples Apennine Italian wolves Museomics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84319-x |
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