Polyphyletic origins of extinct and extant domestic dogs
Date
1998
Authors
Burbidge, Maryann Louise
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Abstract
A 718 bp region of the mitochondrial d-loop region in canids was used to infer phylogenetic trees for modern dog breeds, wolves, coyotes and a fox. A smaller 305 bp segment of the 5' hypervariable region within d-loop was obtained from museum skins and archeological bone of extinct Northwest Coast Native dogs (Tahltan Bear dog, Coast Salish "wool", "village" and historic dogs) and also included in the phylogenetic analyses. DNA sequence data generated by Okumura et al. (1996) and Vilà et al. (1997) were also analysed using phylogenetic methods. Eight groups were resolved: fox, coyote, wolf, wool dog and cohorts, North American indigenous hunting-type dog, modern dog, Japanese dogs D83611/D83637 and Norwegian elkhound. The data suggest that multiple domestication and introgression events have occurred between dogs and wolves. In light of this result, the validity of the dog and wolf species taxa is discussed. The distinct identity of two dog types kept by the Coast Salish of the Northwest Coast seems to be supported as well.