Vanishing native American dog lineages.

Area of Science:

• Canine genetics
• Ancient DNA analysis
• Population genetics

Background:

• Native American cultures historically valued dogs.
• Previous studies found unique mitochondrial DNA in ancient dogs, but not in modern breeds.
• The genetic legacy of indigenous American dogs in modern populations remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genetic contribution of indigenous American dogs to modern dog populations across the Americas.
• To identify previously undescribed mitochondrial DNA sequences in diverse dog populations.

Main Methods:

• Mitochondrial DNA control region sequencing was performed on 400 dogs from various regions in the Americas.
• Analysis included dogs from rural, isolated, and urban street environments.
• Sequences were compared to identify unique and previously described haplotypes.

Main Results:

• Numerous novel mitochondrial control region sequences were identified in the studied dog population.
• Indigenous American dog DNA sequences were found to be exceptionally rare.
• It is estimated that native dogs contributed minimally to the gene pool of modern American dogs.

Conclusions:

• A significant amount of genetic variation exists within non-breed dog populations, as indicated by the high number of new haplotypes found.
• The arrival of European colonists likely resulted in a substantial replacement of native American dogs with European breeds.
• The genetic landscape of dogs in the Americas has been significantly shaped by historical population dynamics.