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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Evaluating the
Taxonomic Status of the

MEXICAN GRAY WOLF
and the RED WOLF

Committee on Assessing the Taxonomic Status of the Red Wolf and the Mexican Gray Wolf

Board on Life Sciences

Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources

Division on Earth and Life Studies

A Consensus Study Report of

images

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by Contract No. 140F0918C0005 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-48824-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-48824-9
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25351

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Suggested Citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25351.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

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The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

Image

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

COMMITTEE ON ASSESSING THE TAXONOMIC STATUS OF THE RED WOLF AND THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLF

Chair

JOSEPH TRAVIS, Florida State University

Members

FRED W. ALLENDORF, University of Montana

DIANE K. BOYD, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

LILIANA CORTÉS-ORTIZ, University of Michigan

LORI S. EGGERT, University of Missouri

DIANE GENEREUX, Broad Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University

MICHAEL LYNCH (NAS), Arizona State University

JESÚS E. MALDONADO, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park

RASMUS NIELSEN, University of California, Berkeley

Staff

KEEGAN SAWYER, Study Director, Board on Life Sciences

CAMILLA YANDOC ABLES, Senior Program Officer, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources

JENNA BRISCOE, Research Assistant, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources

Consultant

ROBERT POOL, Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES

Chair

JAMES P. COLLINS, Arizona State University

Members

A. ALONSO AGUIRRE, George Mason University

ENRIQUETA C. BOND (NAS), Burroughs Wellcome Fund

DOMINIQUE BROSSARD, University of Wisconsin–Madison

ROGER D. CONE (NAS, NAM), University of Michigan

NANCY D. CONNELL, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

SEAN M. DECATUR, Kenyon College

JOSEPH R. ECKER (NAS), Howard Hughes Medical Institute

SCOTT V. EDWARDS (NAS), Harvard University

GERALD L. EPSTEIN, National Defense University

ROBERT J. FULL, University of California, Berkeley

ELIZABETH HEITMAN, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

MARY E. MAXON, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

ROBERT NEWMAN, The Aspen Institute

STEPHEN J. O’BRIEN (NAS), Nova Southeastern University

CLAIRE POMEROY (NAM), The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation

MARY E. POWER (NAS), University of California, Berkeley

SUSAN RUNDELL SINGER, Rollins College

LANA SKIRBOLL, Sanofi

DAVID R. WALT (NAE, NAM), Harvard Medical School

Staff

FRAN SHARPLES, Director

JO HUSBANDS, Senior Scholar

KATHERINE BOWMAN, Senior Program Officer

KEEGAN SAWYER, Senior Program Officer

ANDREA HODGSON, Program Officer

AUDREY THEVENON, Program Officer

JESSICA DE MOUY, Senior Program Assistant

KOSSANA YOUNG, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Chair

CHARLES W. RICE, Kansas State University, Manhattan

Members

SHANE C. BURGESS, University of Arizona, Tucson

SUSAN CAPALBO, Oregon State University, Corvallis

GAIL CZARNECKI-MAULDEN, Nestlé Purina PetCare, St. Louis, MO

GEBISA EJETA, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

JAMES S. FAMIGLIETTI, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

FRED GOULD (NAS), North Carolina State University, Raleigh

DOUGLAS B. JACKSON-SMITH, The Ohio State University, Wooster

JAMES W. JONES (NAE), National Science Foundation

STEPHEN S. KELLEY, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

JAN E. LEACH, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

JILL J. MCCLUSKEY, Washington State University, Richland

KAREN I. PLAUT, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

JIM E. RIVIERE (NAM), Kansas State University, Manhattan

Staff

ROBIN A. SCHOEN, Director

CAMILLA YANDOC ABLES, Senior Program Officer

KARA N. LANEY, Senior Program Officer

JENNA BRISCOE, Research Assistant

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

Preface

This report is based on the intellectual contributions of a host of scientists, from those who wrote the initial descriptions of these animals to those who have published the latest genomic analyses. The committee examined research published between now and almost a century ago, proving that good science is timeless. Beyond the written literature, the report is based on the presentations offered to the committee by many scientific colleagues, the comments of those scientists who did not present to us but who generously answered specific questions addressed to them, and the thoughts of all those who contacted us through the study’s website.

I thank the members of the committee for their dedication and commitment to every phase of this report, including critically assessing a very large literature, thoroughly discussing the evidence in that literature, and cheerfully writing draft after draft to make the report clear and accessible. On behalf of the committee, I thank our study director, Keegan Sawyer, for her leadership, insights, and masterful manner of persuading us to work ever harder. Our thanks also go to Camilla Yandoc Ables for her assistance with many aspects of our work, especially her ability to provide us with the resources we needed to do a thorough review of the large literature on this subject. All of us on the committee are grateful to Jenna Briscoe for her support in organizing and conducting our meetings and to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine librarians, Jorge Mendoza-Torres and Rebecca Morgan, without whose skills the committee might well have been lost.

The committee and I thank all those who informed us about wolves, from in-person presentations to webinars to comments sent via the study’s website. The Appendix includes their names and how they helped us. The committee’s knowledge of the critical issues was deepened and broadened by the contributions of so many people, and our thinking was constantly challenged by each increment in our knowledge. All who spoke or wrote to us were generous with their thoughts, patient in fielding our questions, and unfailingly gracious in their comments. The committee’s gratitude for so much effort cannot be overstated.

Joseph Travis
Chair, Committee on Assessing the Taxonomic Status of the Red Wolf and the Mexican Gray Wolf

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×

Acknowledgment of Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Dr. James A. Estes (NAS), University of California, Santa Cruz (emeritus), and Dr. Barbara A. Schaal (NAS), Washington University in St. Louis. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25351.
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Evaluating the Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf Get This Book
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Scientists strive to develop clear rules for naming and grouping living organisms. But taxonomy, the scientific study of biological classification and evolution, is often highly debated. Members of a species, the fundamental unit of taxonomy and evolution, share a common evolutionary history and a common evolutionary path to the future. Yet, it can be difficult to determine whether the evolutionary history or future of a population is sufficiently distinct to designate it as a unique species.

A species is not a fixed entity – the relationship among the members of the same species is only a snapshot of a moment in time. Different populations of the same species can be in different stages in the process of species formation or dissolution. In some cases hybridization and introgression can create enormous challenges in interpreting data on genetic distinctions between groups. Hybridization is far more common in the evolutionary history of many species than previously recognized. As a result, the precise taxonomic status of an organism may be highly debated. This is the current case with the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) and the red wolf (Canis rufus), and this report assesses the taxonomic status for each.

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