Continent-wide view of genomic diversity and divergence in the wolves of Asia

Abstract

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Asia hold most of the species’ genetic diversity and many endangered populations. However, a clear understanding of the evolutionary history of wolves in Asia is lacking, hindering their conservation. We used 98 whole genomes of wolves across Eurasia to better resolve their evolutionary history and conservation status. The strongest barriers to gene flow coincided with boundaries separating the three major wolf lineages - Indian, Tibetan, and Holarctic. Wolves in the central Asian mountain ranges belonged to the Holarctic lineage and share little ancestry with the nearby Tibetan lineage. In contrast, wolves from eastern Asia share population-wide ancestry with the Tibetan lineage, which may reflect an unsampled lineage similar to the Tibetan lineage. Wolves from southwestern Asia share population-wide ancestry with the Indian lineage, likely due to old (>6 kya) admixture events. Long-term declines and recent inbreeding have left Indian and Tibetan wolves with some of the lowest levels of genetic diversity and highest realized genetic loads. In contrast, adjacent populations have some of the highest genetic diversity, due in part to admixture along contact zones. Our study highlights southern regions of Asia as hotspots of wolf diversity and the need to conserve these remaining populations.