Laboratory of Water Conservatory Management Soil and Forest, Faculty of Sciences of Nature and Life, University of Tlemcen, 13000 Tlemcen, Algeria.
Department of Biology and Plant Ecology, University of Setif, 19000 Setif, Algeria.
Biol Lett. 2020 Jan;16(1):20190560. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0560. Epub 2020 Jan 22.
The diffusion of Neolithic technology together with the Holocene Climatic Optimum fostered the spread of human settlements and pastoral activities in North Africa, resulting in profound and enduring consequences for the dynamics of species, communities and landscapes. Here, we investigate the demographic history of the African wolf (), a recently recognized canid species, to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in food availability that emerged after the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa. We screened nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in samples collected throughout Algeria and Tunisia, and implemented coalescent approaches to estimate the variation of effective population sizes from present to ancestral time. We have found consistent evidence supporting the hypothesis that the African wolf population experienced a meaningful expansion concurring with a period of rapid population expansion of domesticates linked to the advent of agricultural practices.
新石器时代技术的传播以及全新世气候最适宜期促进了人类定居点和畜牧业活动在北非的扩散，这对物种、群落和景观的动态产生了深远而持久的影响。在这里，我们研究了最近被认定的犬科物种——非洲狼的种群历史，以了解这种多面手和机会主义的肉食动物的种群趋势是否反映了新石器时代经济在北非出现后食物供应的增加。我们在阿尔及利亚和突尼斯收集的样本中筛选了核和线粒体 DNA，并实施了合并分析方法来估计从现在到祖先时期有效种群大小的变化。我们有一致的证据支持这样的假设，即非洲狼种群经历了一次有意义的扩张，与与农业实践出现相关的家养动物种群快速扩张的时期相一致。
