DOI: 10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0c3
title: The effective size of the German wolf population from molecular and life history data

description: The effective population size is a critical parameter in evolutionary
 biology and conservation of populations, yet it can be notoriously
 difficult to estimate. Many methods are available to estimate Ne with
 molecular methods, but these methods can be very sensitive to underlying
 assumptions. In order to detect biases in commonly used molecular methods,
 we present two types of independent datasets with which the effective
 population size of the German wolf population can be estimated. The first
 is a life history dataset that provides per individual the life span, the
 life-time reproductive effort and life-time reproductive success. The
 second dataset represents wolf genotypes in Germany across three time
 periodes, representing three age cohorts.
description: The DBBW (Dokumentations- und Beratungsstelle des Bundes zum
 Thema Wolf) hosts a compilation of wolf data collected in the German
 federal states and makes it accessible to the general public
 (https://www.dbb-wolf.de/).The data used here cover the occupation of wolf
 territories in Germany from 2000 to 2020. Each monitoring year (from the
 1<sup>st</sup> of May until the 30<sup>th</sup> of
 April the next year) wolf territories were evaluated and the following
 data were recorded: the name and location of the territory, whether a
 territory was occupied by a solitary animal, a pair or a pack, the genetic
 identification code of each animal, and the number of pups born each year
 in every territory. Most of these data are based on genetic analyses,
 accompanied by camera trap data. Individual wolves are
 continuously monitored and genotyped on the basis of various DNA sources,
 such as scat, hairs, or kill swabs at 13 autosomal microsatellite loci and
 2 sex-linked markers according to Jarausch et al. (2021). Genotype
 data are used to establish sibship relations and identify packs. We
 combined these data with the DBBW data to track life-time reproductive
 success of individual female and male wolves between 2006 and 2020. A
 reproduction event was deemed successful if the offspring survived to
 adulthood and established its own territory. This excluded offspring
 emigrating to other countries. We assumed that wolves established a
 territory at the age of 2, and tracked for how many years they held a
 particular territory. The longevity per individual was calculated as the
 number of territorial years plus 2.
description: # The effective size of the German wolf population from molecular and life
 history data
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0c3](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d51c5b0c3) ## Description of the data and file structure The spreadsheets here accompany the manuscript "Estimating the effective size of European wolf populations", and provide life-history traits (life span, reproductive effort, reproductive output) and genotype information for wolves from Germany in the period 2006-2020. ### Files and variables #### File: German-wolves-Life-History-traits.xlsx **Description:** The data presented here represent estimated reproductive effort, net reproductive output and estimate age at death of female and male wolves in Germany in the period 2006-2020, with their respective unique identifier in the CE wolf database. Only adults deceased in that period are included. The source data can be viewed online at [https://www.dbb-wolf.de/Wolfsvorkommen/territorien/entwicklung-der-rudel](https://www.dbb-wolf.de/Wolfsvorkommen/territorien/entwicklung-der-rudel) ##### Variables * Individual: individual code of each wolf represented by GW (Grey Wolf), a number and a letter denoting the sex of the individual. * Total offspring amount: the (confirmed) number of pups produced across the wolf's lifespan.  * Surviving offspring amount: the (confirmed) number of pups that survived until adulthood and established their own territory. * Estimated age at death: the age at death of each individual, assuming that the first territory was held at the age of 2.  * Mean and variance or standard deviation are provided (overall) and per sex.  #### File: Genotypes\_Germany\_3scales-3periods.xlsx **Description:**  ##### Variables * Column A of each sheet represents the individual code in the CE wolf database, represented by GW (Grey Wolf), a number and a letter denoting the sex of the individual (if known). Column B represents the sex of the individual. Column C represents the first date of the collection of the sample (many have been sampled multiple times). The remaining columns are the alleles at the respective microsatellite loci. The use of locus FH2097 was discontinued in the most recent time period. ## Access information Data was derived from the following sources: * [https://www.dbb-wolf.de/Wolfsvorkommen/territorien/entwicklung-der-rudel](https://www.dbb-wolf.de/Wolfsvorkommen/territorien/entwicklung-der-rudel)