An Assessment of the Population Dynamics and Evolutionary History of the Dingo

Dingoes (Canis familiaris) are an iconic Australian species and the top land predator. Much interest exists in their radiation process and evolutionary history in Australia. Recent research indicated that two evolutionarily independent units exist and that detected effective population size changes are due to the active control of this species. However, these conclusions have been critiqued because they were not explicitly tested or because the model assumptions may not be met in dingoes. We set out to statistically test these hypotheses by comparing alternative migration models and carrying out demographic analyses. We conclude that there is strong statistical support for the existence of the two evolutionary units. However, the analysis carried out to estimate the time of the effective population size changes does not have the required power to conclusively demonstrate whether the current management is having an impact on dingo populations. Future studies and different approaches will be needed to test this hypothesis.