Abstract
Managing and conserving populations of large carnivores, including gray wolves Canis lupus, often involves making decisions that balance conflicting stakeholder desires. To help inform these decisions, we developed a microhaplotype amplicon sequencing panel consisting of 341 loci. Of these, 321 were selected from candidates identified through restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) with 62 samples collected across Idaho, United States. These loci were selected for high expected heterozygosity in order to inform individual identification and relationship inference. The mean ± SD expected heterozygosity of these loci in a sample of 733 individuals collected in Idaho during 2018–2020 was 0.57 ± 0.09. The 20 additional loci were composed of ten selected for differentiation of western coyotes and wolves, nine selected for differentiation of wolves and domestic dogs, and one locus designed to amplify sry to identify genetic sex. This panel will facilitate monitoring, conservation, and management of gray wolves in the western United States.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dan Eardley, Kelly Heindel, and Amanda Boone for laboratory assistance. We would also like to thank Matt Mumma and Shane Roberts for providing comments on the draft manuscript.
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This work was supported by internal funds of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
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TAD: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Review and Editing JS: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Resources, Writing - Review and Editing TH: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Resources, Writing - Review and Editing MRC: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Writing - Review and Editing
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Delomas, T.A., Struthers, J., Hebdon, T. et al. Development of a microhaplotype panel to inform management of gray wolves. Conservation Genet Resour 15, 49–57 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-023-01301-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-023-01301-x