Investigation of Dalmatian population ancestry in golden jackals in nearby regions

Abstract

Although the golden jackal (Canis aureus) has been present in south-eastern Europe for over 500 years, its northern and western range expansion appears recent. Genetic analyses indicate that a contact zone between the previously identified Dalmatian and Pannonian populations has developed in south-western Slovenia and north-eastern Italy. To better understand the spatial extent of the contact zone, we analysed 27 new genetic samples from western Croatia (n = 13), north-eastern Italy (n = 6), south-eastern Austria (n = 3), and northern Greece (n = 5), which we combined with existing Dalmatian and Pannonian reference profiles (n = 46). Individuals from Austria, Greece, and most jackals from Croatia (the island of Krk and Plitvice National Park) and Italy were assigned to the Pannonian population. One jackal from Italy and one from Croatia (the island of Dugi Otok) showed admixed Pannonian-Dalmatian ancestry, but none was assigned to the Dalmatian population. Although the small sample size warrants cautious interpretation, our results indicate that the Dalmatian population may have a restricted distribution, in contrast to the widespread and expanding Pannonian population. Future analyses with known reference populations are necessary to help clarify jackal gene flow along the southern Adriatic coast, including the coastal islands.