Evolution in coyotes (Canis latrans) in response to the megafaunal extinctions.

ABSTRACT: Living coyotes modify their behavior in the presence of larger carnivores, such as wolves. However, little is known about the effects of competitor presence or absence on morphological change in coyotes or wolves over long periods of time. We examined the evolution of coyotes and wolves through time from the late Pleistocene, during which many large carnivorous species coexisted as predators and competitors, to the Recent; this allowed us to investigate evolutionary changes in these species in response to climate change and megafaunal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene. We measured postcranial skeletal morphologies of wolves (Canis lupus) and coyotes (C. latrans) from Pleistocene-aged tar deposits, as well as early, mid, and recent Holocene populations of both. We found few morpholo

SUBMITTER: Meachen JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3306717 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature