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A selection of photographs of wild dingoes from Kosciuszko National Park in southeastern Australia. Examples of sable (a), ginger (b), black & tan (c), brindle (d) and patchy (e) coat colour patterns are evident. See Table 1 for a detailed description of coat colour patterns. Photographs courtesy of Michele J Photography, Cooma NSW.
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How to manage hybridization and introgression in wild animals is controversial. Wildlife managers and researchers may often rely upon phenotypic variables such as coat colour to inform on ground management decisions. In Australia, dingoes are typically believed to be ginger in colour, and unusual coat colours such as brin-dle or sable are widely po...
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... reports from the 18th and 19th centuries commonly described observations of dingoes that were red, yellow, black, white, black and white, tan or tawny (Collins, 1798;Mitchell, 1839;Abbott, 2008). Whilst ginger (Fig. 1) is the most common pelage colouration observed in genetically or morphologically identified pure dingoes, other accepted colours include black & tan and white (Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Corbett, 2001a;Corbett, 2001b;Newsome & Cor- bett, 1985;Crowther et al., 2014;Smith, 2015;Newsome et al., 2013). Many dingoes, ...
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... black & tan and white (Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Corbett, 2001a;Corbett, 2001b;Newsome & Cor- bett, 1985;Crowther et al., 2014;Smith, 2015;Newsome et al., 2013). Many dingoes, regardless of colour, have white markings on their chest, feet, legs and tail tips, dark eyes and undercoat that is white, cream or grey (Table 1). Sable ( Fig. 1) pelage has long been viewed as an indicator of dog gene introgression by some authors (Fleming et al. 2001;Corbett, 2001b), but because it has been recorded in dingo pelts from the early 1800s in remote regions it is likely to be another 'wild-type' dingo colouration (Crowther et al., 2014). The observation of pure sable dingoes by ...
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... but because it has been recorded in dingo pelts from the early 1800s in remote regions it is likely to be another 'wild-type' dingo colouration (Crowther et al., 2014). The observation of pure sable dingoes by Tatler et al. (2021) in remote South Australia provides further support that sable is an ancestral colour variation. Other colour patterns (Fig. 1) that have been attributed to be evidence of significant dog ancestry include brindle, patchy (or parti colour), merle and brown (Corbett, 2001b, Crowther et al., 2014, Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Newsome & Corbett, 1985;Smith, ...
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... Wilton dingo and dog reference populations, 27.4 % of the 1325 samples were classified as having only dingo ancestry or were likely to only have dingo ancestry (q value > 0.8). 40.3 % of samples were admixed dingoes with greater than 75% dingo ancestry (q value 0.7-0.79) and 32.3 % of samples were dingoes with between 50 and 75% dingo ancestry (Fig. 3, Fig- ure S1, Table S1). There were only 5 feral domestic dogs (0.4%) and 15 feral domestic dog hybrids with less than 50% dingo ancestry (1.1%) out of 1325 wild dingo samples; they were removed from subsequent analyses due to the small sample size (Fig. 3, Figure S1, Table ...
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... value 0.7-0.79) and 32.3 % of samples were dingoes with between 50 and 75% dingo ancestry (Fig. 3, Fig- ure S1, Table S1). There were only 5 feral domestic dogs (0.4%) and 15 feral domestic dog hybrids with less than 50% dingo ancestry (1.1%) out of 1325 wild dingo samples; they were removed from subsequent analyses due to the small sample size (Fig. 3, Figure S1, Table ...
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... Macintosh (1956) observed that patchy coat colour (ginger with white patches and/or collars; Fig. 6) arose after multiple generations of inbreeding in a captive bred colony. It is possible that the extent of white markings in dingoes is controlled by MITF, a co-dominant inheritance pattern and an unknown modifier gene (Karlsson et al., 2007;Baranowska K€ orberg et al., 2014;Chew et al., 2019), manifesting in dingoes carrying a range of phenotypes between solid ginger with white points and patchy (Figs. 1 and 6). This might explain the appearance of excessive white markings in some dingoes without the presence of dog introgression. ...
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... reports from the 18th and 19th centuries commonly described observations of dingoes that were red, yellow, black, white, black and white, tan or tawny (Collins, 1798;Mitchell, 1839;Abbott, 2008). Whilst ginger (Fig. 1) is the most common pelage colouration observed in genetically or morphologically identified pure dingoes, other accepted colours include black & tan and white (Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Corbett, 2001a;Corbett, 2001b;Newsome & Cor- bett, 1985;Crowther et al., 2014;Smith, 2015;Newsome et al., 2013). Many dingoes, ...
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... black & tan and white (Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Corbett, 2001a;Corbett, 2001b;Newsome & Cor- bett, 1985;Crowther et al., 2014;Smith, 2015;Newsome et al., 2013). Many dingoes, regardless of colour, have white markings on their chest, feet, legs and tail tips, dark eyes and undercoat that is white, cream or grey (Table 1). Sable ( Fig. 1) pelage has long been viewed as an indicator of dog gene introgression by some authors (Fleming et al. 2001;Corbett, 2001b), but because it has been recorded in dingo pelts from the early 1800s in remote regions it is likely to be another 'wild-type' dingo colouration (Crowther et al., 2014). The observation of pure sable dingoes by ...
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... but because it has been recorded in dingo pelts from the early 1800s in remote regions it is likely to be another 'wild-type' dingo colouration (Crowther et al., 2014). The observation of pure sable dingoes by Tatler et al. (2021) in remote South Australia provides further support that sable is an ancestral colour variation. Other colour patterns (Fig. 1) that have been attributed to be evidence of significant dog ancestry include brindle, patchy (or parti colour), merle and brown (Corbett, 2001b, Crowther et al., 2014, Elledge et al., 2006, Fleming et al. 2001Newsome & Corbett, 1985;Smith, ...
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... Wilton dingo and dog reference populations, 27.4 % of the 1325 samples were classified as having only dingo ancestry or were likely to only have dingo ancestry (q value > 0.8). 40.3 % of samples were admixed dingoes with greater than 75% dingo ancestry (q value 0.7-0.79) and 32.3 % of samples were dingoes with between 50 and 75% dingo ancestry (Fig. 3, Fig- ure S1, Table S1). There were only 5 feral domestic dogs (0.4%) and 15 feral domestic dog hybrids with less than 50% dingo ancestry (1.1%) out of 1325 wild dingo samples; they were removed from subsequent analyses due to the small sample size (Fig. 3, Figure S1, Table ...
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... value 0.7-0.79) and 32.3 % of samples were dingoes with between 50 and 75% dingo ancestry (Fig. 3, Fig- ure S1, Table S1). There were only 5 feral domestic dogs (0.4%) and 15 feral domestic dog hybrids with less than 50% dingo ancestry (1.1%) out of 1325 wild dingo samples; they were removed from subsequent analyses due to the small sample size (Fig. 3, Figure S1, Table ...
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... Macintosh (1956) observed that patchy coat colour (ginger with white patches and/or collars; Fig. 6) arose after multiple generations of inbreeding in a captive bred colony. It is possible that the extent of white markings in dingoes is controlled by MITF, a co-dominant inheritance pattern and an unknown modifier gene ( Karlsson et al., 2007;Baranowska K€ orberg et al., 2014;Chew et al., 2019), manifesting in dingoes carrying a range of phenotypes between solid ginger with white points and patchy (Figs. 1 and 6). This might explain the appearance of excessive white markings in some dingoes without the presence of dog introgression. ...
Citations
... found across the entire continent (excluding Tasmania), occupying vastly different habitats ranging from the mountainous Australian Alpine regions, tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions, the arid zones of Australia and offshore coastal barrier islands such as K'gari (Fraser Island). Dingo populations can vary widely in phenotypic features, such as body weight, coat colour, and social behaviour (Cairns et al., 2021;Corbett, 2001;Koungoulos, 2020;Tatler et al., 2020). ...
Dingoes arrived in Australia during the mid‐Holocene and are the top‐order terrestrial predator on the continent. Although dingoes subsequently spread across the continent, the initial founding population(s) could have been small. We investigated this hypothesis by sequencing the whole genomes of three dingoes and also obtaining the genome data from nine additional dingoes and 56 canines, including wolves, village dogs and breed dogs, and examined the signatures of bottlenecks and founder effects. We found that the nucleotide diversity of dingoes was low, 36% less than highly inbred breed dogs and 3.3 times lower than wolves. The number of runs of homozygosity (RoH) segments in dingoes was 1.6–4.7 times higher than in other canines. While examining deleterious mutational load, we observed that dingoes carried elevated ratios of nonsynonymous‐to‐synonymous diversities, significantly higher numbers of homozygous deleterious Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs), and increased numbers of loss of function SNVs, compared to breed dogs, village dogs, and wolves. Our findings can be explained by bottlenecks and founder effects during the establishment of dingoes in mainland Australia. These findings highlight the need for conservation‐based management of dingoes and the need for wildlife managers to be cognisant of these findings when considering the use of lethal control measures across the landscape.
... (Figures 4-6). Dingoes from southern Australia exhibit greater phenotypic variation than those elsewhere, particularly in terms of pelage (Cairns, Newman, et al., 2021;Jones, 1990Jones, , 2009Newsome & Corbett, 1985). While variable pelage was previously hypothesised to be the result of domestic dog admixture (Newsome & Corbett, 1985), our finding of rare domestic dog admixture makes this unlikely, and suggests that diverse coat colours may represent standing ancestral variation or perhaps local adaption (Cairns, Newman, et al., 2021). ...
... Dingoes from southern Australia exhibit greater phenotypic variation than those elsewhere, particularly in terms of pelage (Cairns, Newman, et al., 2021;Jones, 1990Jones, , 2009Newsome & Corbett, 1985). While variable pelage was previously hypothesised to be the result of domestic dog admixture (Newsome & Corbett, 1985), our finding of rare domestic dog admixture makes this unlikely, and suggests that diverse coat colours may represent standing ancestral variation or perhaps local adaption (Cairns, Newman, et al., 2021). ...
Admixture between species is a cause for concern in wildlife management. Canids are particularly vulnerable to interspecific hybridisation, and genetic admixture has shaped their evolutionary history. Microsatellite DNA testing, relying on a small number of genetic markers and geographically restricted reference populations, has identified extensive domestic dog admixture in Australian dingoes and driven conservation management policy. But there exists a concern that geographic variation in dingo genotypes could confound ancestry analyses that use a small number of genetic markers. Here, we apply genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping to a set of 402 wild and captive dingoes collected from across Australia and then carry out comparisons to domestic dogs. We then perform ancestry modelling and biogeographic analyses to characterise population structure in dingoes and investigate the extent of admixture between dingoes and dogs in different regions of the continent. We show that there are at least five distinct dingo populations across Australia. We observed limited evidence of dog admixture in wild dingoes. Our work challenges previous reports regarding the occurrence and extent of dog admixture in dingoes, as our ancestry analyses show that previous assessments severely overestimate the degree of domestic dog admixture in dingo populations, particularly in south-eastern Australia. These findings strongly support the use of genome-wide SNP genotyping as a refined method for wildlife managers and policymakers to assess and inform dingo management policy and legislation moving forwards.
... Findings from several taxa suggest that possible individual phenotypic and genetic indicators of hybridisation often differ (Iacolina et al., 2018;Kusak et al., 2018;Senn et al., 2019;Cairns et al., 2021b). Dingoes, for instance, showed a wide variation in coat colour and it was not possible to evaluate hybrid ancestry based on this trait, where certain unusual patterns also appear to be ancestral variants (Cairns et al., 2021b). ...
... Findings from several taxa suggest that possible individual phenotypic and genetic indicators of hybridisation often differ (Iacolina et al., 2018;Kusak et al., 2018;Senn et al., 2019;Cairns et al., 2021b). Dingoes, for instance, showed a wide variation in coat colour and it was not possible to evaluate hybrid ancestry based on this trait, where certain unusual patterns also appear to be ancestral variants (Cairns et al., 2021b). In wolves, some individual phenotypic differences may simply represent natural variation in morphology, such as the presence of a black stripe on the foreleg (Pulliainen, 1965). ...
... Areas where individuals with atypical phenotypic traits are observed can then be prioritised for non-invasive genetic monitoring. Another important outcome of such research is to understand whether certain phenotypic traits are not useful hybrid indicators for conservation management, but unreliable measures that risk producing harmful decisions (Galaverni et al., 2017;Cairns et al., 2021b). Moreover, the persistence of traits such as black coat colour in canids with genomewide profiles fully assigned to wolves can offer insights about environmental selection and ecological function following introgression. ...
Hybridisation between wild and domestic taxa raises complex questions for conservation. Genetic advances offer new methods for hybrid identification, yet social and cultural factors can influence study design, and the interpretation, application, and communication of results. A relevant illustration is hybridisation between domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and wild canids, such as grey wolves (C. lupus). For regional European monitoring programs in areas with expanding wolf populations, priorities include shared genetic markers and inclusion of all relevant reference populations to ensure dispersing wolves are identified as such and not classified as wolf-dog hybrids, which may cause harmful management decisions. Beyond technical developments, hybrid research and conservation management can benefit from improved integration of legal and policy perspectives , recognition of phenotypic traits as broadly unreliable for identification, and attention to the drivers of, and responses to, evolution in human-dominated landscapes. Additionally, the proliferation of unsubstantiated reports about hybrids in popular and social media shows that communication based on verified findings of hybridisation is essential. Hybridisation requires more constructive discussion on how to balance potentially competing conservation objectives, and the integration of multidisciplinary perspectives. These encompass the welfare of individual animals and preservation of historical predator-prey relationships. Conservation measures centred on preserving the ecological function of wild canids likely offer the most sustainable prospects but require improved understanding of the extent to which their behavioural ecology might differ from that of hybrids. Accurate genetic identification is required to fill this critical knowledge gap, advance public discourse, and initiate relevant conservation actions.
In 2019 the Western Australian government recategorised the dingo ( Canis dingo) as a wild dog ( Canis familiaris) whose status is legally declared to be a pest. Despite its iconic native status, Canis dingo has been rendered non-existent and liable to be disposed of by inhumane means. Dumped in a legal black hole via a signifying regime of signs, dingoes are confronted with the fact of their own non-existence. Regarding the dingo as a dingoing, a multiplicity and a process, rather than a characteristic, I read the reclassification event symptomatologically and interrogate the constellations of symptoms and regimes of signs which legitimate the event and its performativity. I examine order-words including ‘pest’ and ‘wild dog’ to shift the focus from the words’ meaning to what they do. I subsequently enquire whether ‘dingo’ might become a pass-word, a component of passage, such that dingoes might exist under reprieve in a post-signifying regime. I argue that post-signifying regimes are codified, however, as subjects are individuated along lines of subjectification. I conclude by contemplating whether it is possible to break with subjectification, liberating these demonic nonhuman animals from the signifiers which territorialise them and permitting dingoes to become-animal.
This is the second part of a collation, ordered chronologically, of many reports in which dogs receive at least a passing mention in biological and ethnographic reports from the New Guinea region. We take the ‘New Guinea region’ as comprising mainland New Guinea and nearby islands, together with the Bismarck Archipelago (Manus, New Ireland and New Britain) and the north-western Solomon Islands (Buka and Bougainville). Under present-day political boundaries this region covers the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua and the entire country of Papua New Guinea.
As before, we intend this collation to draw attention to an under-researched, but important, component of the natural history and anthropology of New Guinea and as a resource for future workers, especially, we hope, for people who identify as citizens of part of that region. In the future we may again update and expand it. The collation so far is biased towards accounts from the eastern half of New Guinea and the islands that have come to comprise Papua New Guinea; much more material remains to be found in the archives of exploration and colonisation in western New Guinea, but we lack the language and historical skills to do those sources justice.
Hybridization, defined as breeding between two distinct taxonomic units, can have an important effect on the evolutionary patterns in cross-breeding taxa. Although interspecific hybridization has frequently been considered as a maladaptive process, which threatens species genetic integrity and survival via genetic swamping and outbreeding depression, in some cases hybridization can introduce novel adaptive variation and increase fitness. Most studies to date focused on documenting hybridization events and analyzing their causes, while relatively little is known about the consequences of hybridization and its impact on the parental species. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review of studies on hybridization in mammals published in 2010–2021, and identified 115 relevant studies. Of 13 categories of hybridization consequences described in these studies, the most common negative consequence (21% of studies) was genetic swamping and the most common positive consequence (8%) was the gain of novel adaptive variation. The total frequency of negative consequences (49%) was higher than positive (13%) and neutral (38%) consequences. These frequencies are biased by the detection possibilities of microsatellite loci, the most common genetic markers used in the papers assessed. As negative outcomes are typically easier to demonstrate than positive ones (e.g., extinction vs hybrid speciation), they may be over-represented in publications. Transition towards genomic studies involving both neutral and adaptive variation will provide a better insight into the real impacts of hybridization.
