Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada,
Oecologia. 2013 Dec;173(4):1539-50. doi: 10.1007/s00442-013-2730-8. Epub 2013 Jul 18.
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) generally exhibit intraspecific territoriality manifesting in spatial segregation between adjacent packs. However, previous studies have found a high degree of interspecific spatial overlap between sympatric wolves and coyotes. Eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) are the most common wolf in and around Algonquin Provincial Park (APP), Ontario, Canada and hybridize with sympatric gray wolves and coyotes. We hypothesized that all Canis types (wolves, coyotes, and hybrids) exhibit a high degree of spatial segregation due to greater genetic, morphologic, and ecological similarities between wolves and coyotes in this hybrid system compared with western North American ecosystems. We used global positioning system telemetry and probabilistic measures of spatial overlap to investigate spatial segregation between adjacent Canis packs. Our hypothesis was supported as: (1) the probability of locating wolves, coyotes, and hybrids within home ranges ([Formula: see text] = 0.05) or core areas ([Formula: see text] < 0.01) of adjacent packs was low; and (2) the amount of shared space use was negligible. Spatial segregation did not vary substantially in relation to genotypes of adjacent packs or local environmental conditions (i.e., harvest regulations or road densities). We provide the first telemetry-based demonstration of spatial segregation between wolves and coyotes, highlighting the novel relationships between Canis types in the Ontario hybrid zone relative to areas where wolves and coyotes are reproductively isolated. Territoriality among Canis may increase the likelihood of eastern wolves joining coyote and hybrid packs, facilitate hybridization, and could play a role in limiting expansion of the genetically distinct APP eastern wolf population.
灰狼（Canis lupus）和郊狼（Canis latrans）通常表现出种内领域性，表现为相邻群体之间的空间隔离。然而，先前的研究发现，在同域的狼和郊狼之间存在高度的种间空间重叠。东部狼（Canis lycaon）是加拿大安大略省阿尔冈昆省立公园（APP）及其周边地区最常见的狼种，与同域的灰狼和郊狼杂交。我们假设，由于在这个杂交系统中，狼和郊狼在遗传、形态和生态上的相似性大于北美西部的生态系统，所有的犬科动物（狼、郊狼和杂种）都表现出高度的空间隔离。我们使用全球定位系统遥测技术和空间重叠的概率测度来研究相邻犬科群体之间的空间隔离。我们的假设得到了支持，即：（1）在相邻群体的栖息地[Formula: see text]（[Formula: see text] = 0.05）或核心区域[Formula: see text]（[Formula: see text] < 0.01）内定位狼、郊狼和杂种的概率很低；（2）共享空间的使用量可以忽略不计。空间隔离与相邻群体的基因型或当地环境条件（即收获法规或道路密度）没有显著变化。我们提供了基于遥测的狼和郊狼之间空间隔离的首次证明，突出了安大略杂交区犬科动物之间的新型关系，与狼和郊狼生殖隔离的地区相比。犬科动物之间的领地性可能会增加东部狼加入郊狼和杂种群体的可能性，促进杂交，并可能在限制具有独特遗传特征的 APP 东部狼种群的扩张方面发挥作用。
