Animal Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 39-48 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/amb 39 Research Insight Open Access Behavioral Genetics in Canids: A Comparative Study of Wolves, Coyotes, and Dogs Hongbo Liang 1, QibinXu2 1 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China 2 Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: qibin.xu@cuixi.org Animal Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/amb.2025.15.0005 Received: 01 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 10 Feb., 2025 Published: 28 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Liang and Xu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Liang H.B., and Xu Q.B., 2025, Behavioral genetics in canids: a comparative study of wolves, coyotes, and dogs, Animal Molecular Breeding, 15(1): 39-48 (doi: 10.5376/amb.2025.15.0005) Abstract This study presents comparative descriptions of wolves’, coyotes’, and dogs’ behavioral genetics, evolutionary correlates, genetic mechanisms of behavior, and adaptive behavior. The research identifies the key genetic markers, including those for trainability, boldness, and social bonding, and investigates gene-environment interaction for behavioral traits. It looks into the impact of hybridization on genetic diversity and behavioral adaptation in particular pertaining to hybrid canids such as the eastern coyote. The study also establishes the application of behavioral genetics to conservation practice and breeding schemes within domestication, and offers insights into human-canid coevolution and evolutionary trade-offs. The study underscores the need to interlink genetic and environmental information in order to improve knowledge of canid behavior and to enable improved management of the species. Keywords Behavioral genetics; Wolves; Coyotes; Domestic dogs; Hybridization; Gene-environment interactions; Conservation; Evolutionary trade-offs 1 Introduction Canid behavioral genetics is the study of the genetic foundation of behavior in members of the canid family. It has been of special interest due to the incredible genetic and behavioral diversity of canids, such as domestic dogs, wolves, and coyotes. Scientists have supported that canids are an excellent model for behavioral genetics since the fact that they possess varying social structures, ecological niches, and an abundance of available genetic data makes them ideal for that. Scientists have used different methods, including selective breeding, heritability estimates, and molecular genetics, to provide gene-behavior correlations and establish the genetic effects on behavior in such animals (Hall and Wynne, 2012). Wolves, coyotes, and dogs form a robust comparative system to understand behavioral genetics due to their common ancestral origin and divergent evolutionary paths. Hybridization among them has introduced adaptive genetic diversity that has enabled them to adapt to diverse environments (Vonholdt et al., 2011; Monzón et al., 2014). For instance, coyote-wolf hybridization has formed hybrid swarms with unique genetic composition that enables them to occupy specific ecological niches (Monzón et al., 2014). Similarly, domestication of dogs from their ancestors, the wolves, has resulted in worldwide alterations in behavior and genes that have been appropriate to utilize as a model to study the impacts of domestication on behavior (Saetre et al., 2004). Knowledge of the gene foundation of the behavior of these canids will also provide understanding of how evolution, adaptation, and speciation work (Wayne, 1993). This study provides an in-depth comparative review of the behavior genetics of coyote, wolf, and dog. It summarizes existing knowledge on the behavior genetics, evaluates the role of hybridization and gene flow on the behavioral traits of these species, and determines the molecular mechanisms and genetic markers for behavioral variation. The report includes a close analysis of genetic data from a body of research studies, synthesizing ecological and evolutionary implications of canid behavioral genetics and proposing recommendations for future research. It aims to improve the present knowledge base of genetic determinants of canid behavior and its broader application to species management and conservation.
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