Mating system of free-ranging domestic dogs and its consequences for dog evolution
Abstract
The polygamous mating system of free-ranging domestic dogs (FRDs) contrasts with the social monogamy typical of gray wolves and all other wild canids. The transition to polygamy in dogs could have been initiated by a shift from apex predator to human commensal during the early domestication stages. Here, we test this hypothesis by investigating the characteristics of the FRD mating system that could have been important for domestication. This inference is based on genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data from three geographically distinct populations, including behavioral data for one of them. The reconstructed genealogies form a wide network of kinship relationships resulting from the frequent occurrence of maternal and paternal half-siblings, reflecting male and female polygamy. Reproductive success is positively correlated with the strength of social interactions and the number of connections with opposite-sex individuals, implying a preference toward familiar mates and the importance of social relationships in determining mating patterns. This is supported by a nonrandom distribution of reproductive partners and a reproductive skew in males and females. Multiple paternity within litters points to female polygamy within a single estrus, and sexual size dimorphism implies sexual selection favoring larger males. Physiological changes resulting from polygamy, including increased male fertility and reduced breeding seasonality, could have facilitated the natural spread of novel adaptive traits and limited the introgression from wolves. The change in reproductive patterns, typically considered a consequence of selective breeding, could instead have occurred naturally in response to the dietary niche change, triggering further changes that facilitated the domestication process.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (14)
Clément Car
Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk
Roya Adavoudi
Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk
Andreas Berghänel
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Melissa Vanderheyden
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Andre E. Moura
Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk
Friederike Range
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Giulia Cimarelli
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Martina Lazzaroni
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Rachel Dale
Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems
Ikhlass El Berbri
Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, Agronomy and Veterinary Institute Hassan II
Gabriella J. Spatola
Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
Timothy A. Mousseau
Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Małgorzata Pilot
Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk