DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9s1t9
title: Data from: North-south differentiation and a region of high diversity in European wolves (Canis lupus)

description: European wolves (Canis lupus) show population genetic structure in the
 absence of geographic barriers, and across relatively short distances for
 this highly mobile species. Additional information on the location of and
 divergence between population clusters is required, particularly because
 wolves are currently recolonizing parts of Europe. We evaluated genetic
 structure in 177 wolves from 11 countries using over 67K single nucleotide
 polymorphism (SNP) loci. The results supported previous findings of an
 isolated Italian population with lower genetic diversity than that
 observed across other areas of Europe. Wolves from the remaining countries
 were primarily structured in a north-south axis, with Croatia, Bulgaria,
 and Greece (Dinaric-Balkan) differentiated from northcentral wolves that
 included individuals from Finland, Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia.
 Carpathian Mountain wolves in central Europe had genotypes intermediate
 between those identified in northcentral Europe and the Dinaric-Balkan
 cluster. Overall, individual genotypes from northcentral Europe suggested
 high levels of admixture. We observed high diversity within Belarus, with
 wolves from western and northern Belarus representing the two most
 differentiated groups within northcentral Europe. Our results support the
 presence of at least three major clusters (Italy, Carpathians,
 Dinaric-Balkan) in southern and central Europe. Individuals from Croatia
 also appeared differentiated from wolves in Greece and Bulgaria. Expansion
 from glacial refugia, adaptation to local environments, and human-related
 factors such as landscape fragmentation and frequent killing of wolves in
 some areas may have contributed to the observed patterns. Our findings can
 help inform conservation management of these apex predators and the
 ecosystems of which they are part.
description: WolvesAll_22feb2012.pedSingle nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) raw data files for 177 individuals for use with the software PLINK: PED file.WolvesAll_22feb2012.mapSingle nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) raw data files for 177 individuals for use with the software PLINK: MAP file.Italy.txtSingle nucleotide polymorphism loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for one of the five population clusters detected in the analyses (please see Figure 1, Table 3).Dinaric-Balkan.txtSingle nucleotide polymorphism loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for one of the five population clusters detected in the analyses (please see Figure 1, Table 3).Carpathians.txtSingle nucleotide polymorphism loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for one of the five population clusters detected in the analyses (please see Figure 1, Table 3).Northcentral_Europe.txtSingle nucleotide polymorphism loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for one of the five population clusters detected in the analyses (please see Figure 1, Table 3).Ukrainian_Steppe.txtSingle nucleotide polymorphism loci not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for one of the five population clusters detected in the analyses (please see Figure 1, Table 3).