Science confirms two distinct wolf types in BC

New research co-authored by a University of Victoria wildlife scientist provides genetic evidence that BC’s mainland wolves and coastal wolves appear to be genetically distinct.

The research, published today in the scientific journal BMC Ecology, affirms what Chester Starr, an elder from the Heiltsuk First Nation on BC’s remote west coast, and his people have always known. In fact, Starr’s insight provided motivation for the study.

It was likely the profoundly different ecological environments that created the genetic separation, explains co-author Dr. Chris Darimont, Hakai-Raincoast professor at UVic and a scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Coastal islands offer wolves more marine-based foods, such as salmon and marine mammals—preferences that are passed on from generation to generation. Over time, coastal wolves bred more frequently with one another and less frequently with their deer-loving relatives on the mainland.

“The fact that this is not supposed to happen over such a short distance is what makes this special,” says Darimont. “We'd absolutely expect wolves from Alberta and Alaska to differ, but we would not expect this genetic gradient within an area that is only 2,000 square kilometres.”

The scientists analyzed DNA samples from wolf scats collected in the field.

The discovery reminds us that although Indigenous and scientific approaches constitute different paths to knowledge, they’re rooted in the same reality and provide complementary information, adds Darimont. “Earlier in my career, I had assumed that ecological knowledge could only come from science. I was wrong, and it’s exciting to learn from this and similar experiences.”

Link to the study: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6785/14/11

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