https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5071 Dogs of War: The Effect of War‐Inflicted Environmental Damage on Free‐Ranging Domestic Dogs Martsiv, Mariia Mariia Martsiv 0000-0003-4020-7367 Dykyy, Ihor Ihor Dykyy Witek, Małgorzata Małgorzata Witek Chibowski, Piotr Piotr Chibowski Cimarelli, Giulia Giulia Cimarelli 0000-0002-6031-0364 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Moura, Andre E. Andre E. Moura Pilot, Małgorzata Małgorzata Pilot 0000-0002-6057-5768 Wiley journal article open access eng Wars impose unprecedented environmental damage that has rarely been studied in real time. Domestic dogs are an accessible model species during war times, because they enable data collection without specialised equipment and skills, which can be performed without creating additional danger to humans or animals involved. We compared phenotypic traits in Ukrainian dogs living close to the front line with those from other regions of Ukraine. We found significant differences in frequencies and diversity of multiple morphological traits, consistent with mortality-based selection at the front line. We also found differences in age structure and frequency of diseases and injuries, consistent with high mortality of old and ill individuals. The front-line population had low average BMI and stable isotope analysis suggested malnutrition and low trophic level. Our study shows that wars can be factors of strong and fast natural selection, with the effects comparable to large-scale natural or anthropogenic disasters. Anthropogenic Disaster Contemporary Evolution Domestic Dogs Mortality Natural Selection War-inflicted Environmental Damage http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:5071/download 10.1111/eva.70182 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Evolutionary Applications issn:1752-4571 VoR Evolutionary Applications 18 12 2.77 MB 2025