# Continent-wide view of genomic diversity and divergence in the wolves of Asia

## TL;DR

This study explores the genetic diversity of Asian wolves, revealing distinct lineages and highlighting the need for conservation in southern Asia.

## Contribution

The study provides a continent-wide genomic analysis of Asian wolves, identifying key evolutionary lineages and conservation hotspots.

## Key findings

- Wolves in central Asia belong to the Holarctic lineage and have limited ancestry with the Tibetan lineage.
- Indian and Tibetan wolves exhibit low genetic diversity and high genetic load due to long-term declines and inbreeding.
- Southern Asia is identified as a hotspot of wolf diversity, emphasizing the importance of conserving these populations.

## Abstract

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Asia hold most of the species’ genetic diversity and many endangered populations. However, a clear understanding of the evolutionary history of wolves in Asia is lacking, hindering their conservation. We used 98 whole genomes of wolves across Eurasia to better resolve their evolutionary history and conservation status. The strongest barriers to gene flow coincided with boundaries separating the three major wolf lineages - Indian, Tibetan, and Holarctic. Wolves in the central Asian mountain ranges belonged to the Holarctic lineage and share little ancestry with the nearby Tibetan lineage. In contrast, wolves from eastern Asia share population-wide ancestry with the Tibetan lineage, which may reflect an unsampled lineage similar to the Tibetan lineage. Wolves from southwestern Asia share population-wide ancestry with the Indian lineage, likely due to old (>6 kya) admixture events. Long-term declines and recent inbreeding have left Indian and Tibetan wolves with some of the lowest levels of genetic diversity and highest realized genetic loads. In contrast, adjacent populations have some of the highest genetic diversity, due in part to admixture along contact zones. Our study highlights southern regions of Asia as hotspots of wolf diversity and the need to conserve these remaining populations.

Wolves in Asia are remarkably diverse, inhabiting some of the world's hottest deserts to the high plains of the Tibetan plateau. However, they remain understudied and poorly understood. Here, we sequenced whole genomes of wolves in Asia to assess their evolutionary history and genetic diversity.