01950nas a2200193 4500008004100000245008300041210006900124300001000193490000600203520139400209653001201603653001401615653001801629653001101647100001701658700001501675700002101690856004501711 2010 eng d00aRapid Adaptive Evolution of Northeastern Coyotes via Hybridization with Wolves0 aRapid Adaptive Evolution of Northeastern Coyotes via Hybridizati a89-930 v63 a

The dramatic expansion of the geographical range of coyotes over the last 90 years is partly explained by changes to the landscape and local extinctions of wolves, but hybridization may also have facilitated their movement. We present mtDNA sequence data from 686 eastern coyotes and measurements of 196 skulls related to their two-front colonization pattern. We find evidence for hybridization with Great Lakes wolves only along the northern front, which is correlated with larger skull size, increased sexual dimorphism and a five times faster colonization rate than the southern front. Northeastern haplotype diversity is low, suggesting that this population was founded by very few females moving across the Saint Lawrence River. This northern front then spread south and west, eventually coming in contact with an expanding front of non-hybrid coyotes in western New York and Pennsylvania. We suggest that hybridization with wolves in Canada introduced adaptive variation that contributed to larger size, which in turn allowed eastern coyotes to better hunt deer, allowing a more rapid colonization of new areas than coyotes without introgressed wolf genes. Thus, hybridization is a conduit by which genetic variation from an extirpated species has been reintroduced into northeastern USA, enabling northeastern coyotes to occupy a portion of the niche left vacant by wolves.

10aCoyotes10aEvolution10ahybridization10awolves1 aKays, R., W.1 aCurtis, A.1 aKirchman, J., J. uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.057501523nas a2200205 4500008004100000245008900041210006900130300001200199490000600211520093400217653001201151653001401163653001801177653001301195653001101208100001701219700001501236700002101251856004501272 2010 eng d00aReply to Wheeldon et al. 'Colonization History and Ancestry of Northeastern Coyotes'0 aReply to Wheeldon et al Colonization History and Ancestry of Nor a248-2490 v63 a

The history of hybridization and range change of Canis in eastern North America has created an interesting evolutionary story that researchers are still untangling. We welcome the comment by Wheeldon et al. (in press) on our study on the evolution of northeastern coyote and the new data they present in their comment and new paper (Way et al. in press). Their comment raises two issues, one taxonomic and one biogeographic. Here we briefly defend our taxonomic treatment of northeastern wolves, and present new data supporting our original biogeographic interpretations.

10aCoyotes10aEvolution10ahybridization10aNew York10awolves1 aKays, R., W.1 aCurtis, A.1 aKirchman, J., J. uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.102201563nas a2200241 4500008004100000245008900041210006900130300001200199490000700211520086200218653001801080653001201098653001301110653001401123653001101137100002001148700002001168700001701188700001601205700002101221700001801242856006101260 2003 eng d00aA Survey of Parasites of Coyotes (Canis latrans) in New York Based on Fecal Analysis0 aSurvey of Parasites of Coyotes Canis latrans in New York Based o a712-7170 v393 a

Coyotes (Canis latrans) have colonized northeastern North America only within the past 10–80 yr. We examined feces of coyotes in 2000–01 at three sites in New York (USA) to survey parasites in the region. Two cestodes, nine nematodes, five protozoa, one trematode, and two arthropods were identified from 145 coyote fecal samples. Parasite component community diversity was higher (n=16 species) in southern New York than in middle and northern sites (nine species each) and infracommunity species richness was greater in southern New York than at the other sites. These differences may reflect the variable diets of coyotes, as well as recent colonization of the region and the mixing of component communities from expanding coyote populations.

10aCanis latrans10aCoyotes10aNew York10aParasites10asurvey1 aGompper, M., E.1 aGoodman, R., M.1 aKays, R., W.1 aRay, J., C.1 aFiorello, C., V.1 aWade., S., E. uhttp://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.7589/0090-3558-39.3.712