Genetic Variability in Six Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) Populations Determined by Microsatellite Markers

Abstract Jaramillo-Jaimes, M.T., Sifuentes-Rincon, A.M., Sanchez Torres-Esqueda, M.T., Mendoza-Martinez, G.D., Clemente-Sanchez, F., Olivera-Lopez, J.I., Molina Hernandez, M. and Martinez-Tripp, S.C. 2007. Genetic variability in six Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) populations determined by microsatellite markers. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 31: 131–136. A study was conducted to evaluate genetic diversity in six Mexican gray wolf populations based on six microsatellite loci. Allelic frequencies, heterozygosity and genetic distances were determined with a pairwise analysis of the genetic distance means to demonstrate that the six wolf populations are genetically very close (0.17–0.41), with marked grouping between populations. Notable differences were observed between allelic frequency profiles for the six microsatellites in the six studied Mexican gray wolf populations. Further studies using Mexican gray wolf populations and other related canid populations are recommended.