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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Necropsy-based Wild Fish Health Assessment

Necropsy-based Wild Fish Health Assessment

Published on: September 11, 2018

Native Great Lakes wolves were not restored.

Jennifer A Leonard¹, Robert K Wayne

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. jennifer.leonard@ebc.uu.se

Biology Letters

|October 25, 2007

Summary

Great Lakes wolves, once decimated, have rebounded but are now admixed with Old World grey wolves and coyotes. This genetic shift means the original Great Lakes wolf population has not been restored, questioning conservation successes.

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Area of Science:

Wildlife genetics
Conservation biology
Ecology

Background:

Historical wolf populations in the Great Lakes region were severely reduced by habitat loss and control programs.
The US Endangered Species Act facilitated a population rebound to approximately 3000 individuals.
Concerns exist regarding the genetic integrity of the recovering wolf population.

Purpose of the Study:

To genetically characterize the pre-recovery and recent wolf populations in the Great Lakes area.
To assess the extent to which the original endemic wolf population has been restored.
To evaluate the implications of genetic admixture for wolf conservation and delisting decisions.

Main Methods:

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype analysis was used to compare genetic profiles.
Comparison of genetic data from historical (pre-recovery) and contemporary wolf populations.
Identification of wolf (Canis lupus), coyote (Canis latrans), and endemic wolf lineages.

Main Results:

The pre-recovery wolf population was primarily characterized by mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of an endemic American wolf, termed the Great Lakes wolf.
The recent wolf population exhibits genetic admixture, including contributions from Old World grey wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes (Canis latrans).
Evidence suggests significant introgression from non-endemic wolf and coyote lineages into the current population.

Conclusions:

The current Great Lakes wolf population is genetically admixed and does not represent a restoration of the pre-recovery endemic wolf.
The genetic composition has shifted due to the influx of grey wolves and coyotes.
These findings raise significant questions about the success of conservation efforts and the appropriateness of delisting the Great Lakes wolf population.