MSGID: 1:317/3 6476cdae   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    New DNA testing technology shows majority of wild dingoes are pure, not   
   hybrids    
      
     Date:   
         May 30, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of New South Wales   
     Summary:   
         Genetic analysis shows dingo populations have significantly less   
         dog ancestry than previously thought.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Wild dingo populations have less dog lineage, with a significantly   
   greater proportion of pure dingoes than previously thought, according to   
   new research, challenging the view that pure dingoes are on the decline   
   due to crossbreeding.   
      
   The findings, published in Molecular Ecology, suggest previous studies   
   significantly overestimated the prevalence of dingo-dog mixes in the   
   wild and that lethal methods to control 'wild dogs' target pure dingoes.   
      
   Dingoes are genetically distinct from domestic dogs but can   
   interbreed. Cross- species breeding, or hybridisation, can threaten pure   
   species, which may become vulnerable to extinction by genetic dilution.   
      
   "For decades, there was fear that dingoes were breeding themselves into   
   extinction. But our findings suggest this isn't the case, and dingoes   
   are largely maintaining their identity, which has implications for   
   their management and conservation," says Dr Kylie Cairns, a conservation   
   biologist from UNSW Science and lead author of the study.   
      
   More pure dingoes than hybrids For the study, the research team led by   
   UNSW Sydney investigated the extent of dingo hybridisation in different   
   regions across Australia. They used a new genome-wide test to analyse   
   the DNA of 391 wild and captive dingoes and conducted detailed ancestry   
   modelling and biogeographic analysis to find wild dingoes had far less   
   dog ancestry than suggested by prior genetic studies.   
      
   "The old method, which relied on a relatively small number of genetic   
   markers and limited reference population, overestimates the amount   
   of dog ancestry in dingo samples -- sometimes by over 30 per cent,"   
   Dr Cairns says. "This meant it often identified an animal as crossbred   
   when it was a pure dingo or historical backcross.   
      
   "But with the new test, we can look at 195,000 points across the genome   
   compared with just 23 previously. So, it's a huge step up in reliability   
   and accuracy."  In Victoria, where previous reports suggested the pure   
   dingo population was as small as 4 per cent, the study found 87.1 per   
   cent of animals tested were pure dingoes and 6.5 per cent were historical   
   dingo backcrosses with more than 93 per cent dingo ancestry.   
      
   Similarly, in New South Wales and Queensland, where dingo-dog   
   hybridisation is assumed to be pervasive, most animals were found to   
   be pure dingoes, and only two wild canids had less than 70 per cent   
   dingo ancestry.   
      
   Little evidence of hybridisation in the dingo population was also found   
   in the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Western Australia.   
      
   "Reliance on outdated DNA testing methods has led to the belief that   
   dingo-dog hybridisation is much more common in Australia than it really   
   is," Dr Cairns says. "Most dingoes in the wild are pure dingoes, and   
   the remaining animals are more dingo than anything else.   
      
   "Even in the parts of Australia where dingo-dog hybridisation is higher,   
   it is not the pervasive threat we've been led to believe."  No animals in   
   the sample were 50 per cent hybrids -- meaning none were direct offspring   
   of a dog and a dingo in the wild. The few animals that weren't pure   
   dingoes were mostly historical backcrosses with a single dog ancestor   
   four or five generations in the past.   
      
   "While there has been some hybridisation in the past, it's not occurring   
   at a rapid pace today," Dr Cairns says. "Where it does happen, we can see   
   the offspring of the hybrids returning to their dingo roots over time."   
   The study also found significant regional variation in dingoes, with   
   four distinct wild dingo populations across mainland Australia.   
      
   "We didn't have samples from every single corner of Australia. So,   
   there may be even more variation in dingoes," Dr Cairns says. "There's   
   also a chance some dog DNA has been integrated into the dingo genome   
   because it's provided an evolutionary advantage, so that's something   
   we plan to investigate in future research using the new testing."   
   The findings are consistent with studies in other species demonstrating   
   genome- wide analysis performs more accurate identification of ancestry,   
   which policymakers can use to inform dingo management.   
      
   "Existing management decisions have been based on the findings from old   
   DNA testing technology with limited resolution," says Professor Mike   
   Letnic, a conservation biologist from UNSW Science and senior author of   
   the study. "We now have a more advanced approach using higher-density   
   genomic data that can be applied to dingoes to assess populations more   
   accurately and inform management strategies with best-available evidence."   
   Informing evidence-based dingo management In Australia, the term "wild   
   dog" is widely used in policy under the assumption there is widespread   
   dingo-dog hybridisation and very few remaining pure dingoes.   
      
   Under the name "wild dog," dingoes, dingo-hybrids, and feral domestic   
   dogs are all considered invasive species under biosecurity legislation   
   and subject to eradication measures like aerial baiting or trapping   
   across parts of the Australian mainland, including National Parks where   
   native animals are protected.   
      
   "It's convenient to paint all dingoes as wild dogs. But the term obscures   
   the reality that many pure dingoes and dingo-dominant backcrosses are   
   being killed," Dr Cairns says. "In fact, no other native species is   
   treated in quite the same way as the dingo, which is subject to lethal   
   control measures across all landscapes, including ones where they should   
   be protected."  Environments without dingoes can get overrun by kangaroos,   
   foxes and feral cats that threaten other native animals and can change   
   vegetation significantly.   
      
   "Dingoes are a threat to some livestock, but they're not a pest in all   
   contexts. They play a crucial role as apex predators in maintaining   
   ecosystem function and biodiversity," Prof. Letnic says. "So, there's   
   a real need find a balance in management and ensure there are places in   
   the landscape where we maintain populations."  Lethal control methods,   
   particularly during dingo breeding season, may inadvertently increase   
   the risk of hybridisation by reducing the availability of pure dingo   
   mates. However, more research is needed to confirm the link.   
      
   "While we don't have many hybrids running around like previously   
   suggested, where dingo-dog hybridisation does occur, it's in regions where   
   intensive lethal control is used and where there are higher numbers of   
   domestic pet dogs," Dr Cairns says.   
      
   The researchers suggest that the definition of "dingoes" in conservation   
   policy should be revised to include historical dingo backcrosses with   
   93 per cent or more dingo ancestry and distinguish them from "feral   
   domestic dogs."  "Doing so will more accurately reflect the identity   
   of wild canids in Australia and acknowledge the value of dingoes as a   
   native and culturally significant species," Dr Cairns says.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Dogs # Wild_Animals # Animals # Veterinary_Medicine #   
                   Nature # New_Species # Extinction # Mammals   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Mixed-breed_dog o Canine_hybrids o Companion_dog o Gray_Wolf o   
             Genetics o Computational_genomics o Dog_hybrids_and_crossbreeds   
             o Dog_anatomy   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_New_South_Wales. Original written by Ben Knight. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Related Multimedia:   
       * Dingoes   
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Kylie M. Cairns, Mathew S. Crowther, Heidi G. Parker, Elaine A.   
      
         Ostrander, Mike Letnic. Genome‐wide variant analyses reveal   
         new patterns of admixture and population structure in Australian   
         dingoes.   
      
         Molecular Ecology, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/mec.16998   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230530125449.htm   
      
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