The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas

Science. 2018 Jul 6;361(6397):81-85. doi: 10.1126/science.aao4776.

Abstract

Dogs were present in the Americas before the arrival of European colonists, but the origin and fate of these precontact dogs are largely unknown. We sequenced 71 mitochondrial and 7 nuclear genomes from ancient North American and Siberian dogs from time frames spanning ~9000 years. Our analysis indicates that American dogs were not derived from North American wolves. Instead, American dogs form a monophyletic lineage that likely originated in Siberia and dispersed into the Americas alongside people. After the arrival of Europeans, native American dogs almost completely disappeared, leaving a minimal genetic legacy in modern dog populations. The closest detectable extant lineage to precontact American dogs is the canine transmissible venereal tumor, a contagious cancer clone derived from an individual dog that lived up to 8000 years ago.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Americas
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Cell Nucleus / genetics
  • Dog Diseases / genetics
  • Dog Diseases / transmission*
  • Dogs* / classification
  • Dogs* / genetics
  • Domestication*
  • Genome, Mitochondrial
  • Human Migration
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / veterinary*
  • Phylogeny
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases / transmission
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases / veterinary*
  • Siberia
  • Wolves / classification
  • Wolves / genetics

Associated data

  • Dryad/10.5061/dryad.s1k47j4