October 28, 2007. BIG UPDATE: Genetic results are in and Eastern Coyotes appear to be genetically distinct; they are not western coyotes nor eastern wolves. They are a hybrid and probably should be classified as a new species.
I have been collaborating with Brad White's genetic team at Trent University and they just finished the genetic results of our eastern Massachusetts (about 75) samples. Here is what Brad has to say, "I am attaching an analysis on the genomes of your animals compared to other coyotes and eastern wolves. Essentially - green is eastern coyote, blue is western coyote and red is eastern wolf. Your animals seem mainly eastern coyote with more western coyote than some other eastern coyote populations."
Click here to view the powerpoint slide of our samples (labeled Jon Way) versus other regions including eastern wolves of Alongquin Provincial Park in Ontario. Brad and I will be collaborating on a manuscript together to discuss these results. We will probably target the journal Northeastern Naturalist.
Basically, Brad believes the eastern coyote should be classified as its own species. You can see that our samples match up closely with New York (including the Adirondacks) and Maine. All eastern samples have western coyote DNA in their samples (although our eastern Mass. samples have slightly more western coyote introgression). Additionally, all eastern coyote samples have eastern wolf (same species as red wolf) introgression as well. However, they all line up distinctively as eastern coyotes. I am not sure if we will be able to call the eastern coyote a new species until we sample throughout the northeast and determine where they become less "eastern coyote" and more "western coyote". However, we will certainly be able to report that the eastern coyote is indeed distinct.
I should also note that I am not a geneticist so I hope I described this accurately. Again, to view the powerpoint slide showing this, click here !
