Spatial genetic variability in the coyote (Canis latrans)
Abstract
Spatial genetic variability was assessed, using starch-gel electrophoresis of proteins, for coyotes, Canis latrans, from Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas (n = 235). Of 31 con sistently scorable loci (from a total of 34 examined), 24 were monomorphic and seven were polymorphic. Heterozygosity ranged from 0.7% for Oklahoma to 4.6% for middle Tennessee (X̄ = 3.3%) but was not significantly different among localities. With the exception of Oklahoma, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium occurred at all localities. Wright's F-statistics indicated an overall significant degree of differentiation among populations. Rogers' genetic similarity values, ranging from 0.724 to 0.932, exhibited a pattern of relationships that may reflect an eastward expansion of the coyote's range. Results support the contention that coyotes gradually extended their distribution eastward over a period of 25 to 30 years.
Publication Title
Southwestern Naturalist
Recommended Citation
Peppers, J., Kennedy, P., & Kennedy, M. (1996). Spatial genetic variability in the coyote (Canis latrans). Southwestern Naturalist, 41 (4), 388-394. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/facpubs/17664
