Mating system of free-ranging domestic dogs and its consequences for dog evolution

Title (eng)
Mating system of free-ranging domestic dogs and its consequences for dog evolution
Author
Clément Car
Author
Roya Adavoudi
Author
Andreas Berghänel
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Melissa Vanderheyden
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Andre E. Moura
Author
Friederike Range
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Giulia Cimarelli
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Martina Lazzaroni
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Rachel Dale
Author
Ikhlass El Berbri
Author
Gabriella J. Spatola
Author
Timothy A. Mousseau
Author
Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Author
Małgorzata Pilot
Abstract (eng)
The polygamous mating system of free-ranging domestic dogs (FRDs) contrasts with the social monogamy typical of gray wolves and all other wild canids. The transition to polygamy in dogs could have been initiated by a shift from apex predator to human commensal during the early domestication stages. Here, we test this hypothesis by investigating the characteristics of the FRD mating system that could have been important for domestication. This inference is based on genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data from three geographically distinct populations, including behavioral data for one of them. The reconstructed genealogies form a wide network of kinship relationships resulting from the frequent occurrence of maternal and paternal half-siblings, reflecting male and female polygamy. Reproductive success is positively correlated with the strength of social interactions and the number of connections with opposite-sex individuals, implying a preference toward familiar mates and the importance of social relationships in determining mating patterns. This is supported by a nonrandom distribution of reproductive partners and a reproductive skew in males and females. Multiple paternity within litters points to female polygamy within a single estrus, and sexual size dimorphism implies sexual selection favoring larger males. Physiological changes resulting from polygamy, including increased male fertility and reduced breeding seasonality, could have facilitated the natural spread of novel adaptive traits and limited the introgression from wolves. The change in reproductive patterns, typically considered a consequence of selective breeding, could instead have occurred naturally in response to the dietary niche change, triggering further changes that facilitated the domestication process.
Keywords (eng)
DomesticationGenealogyMating SystemReproductive SuccessSocial Interactions
Type (eng)
journal article
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5118
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2421756122
Is in series
Title (eng)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume
122
Issue
48
ISSN
0027-8424
Issued
2025
Number of pages
12
Publication
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Version type (eng)
version of record (published version)
Date issued
2025
Access rights (eng)
open access
License
CC BY 4.0 International
Rights statement (eng)
Copyright © 2025 the Author(s)