A Detailed Picture of the Origin of the Australian Dingo, Obtained from the Study of Mitochondrial DNA

To determine the origin and time of arrival to Australia of the dingo, 582 bp of the mtDNA control region were analyzed in 211 Australian dingoes sampled in all states of Australia, 676 dogs from all continents, and 38 Eurasian wolves, and 263 bp were analyzed in 19 pre-European archaeological dog s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2004-08, Vol.101 (33), p.12387-12390
Main Authors: Savolainen, Peter, Leitner, Thomas, Wilton, Alan N., Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth, Lundeberg, Joakim, Renfrew, Colin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ancient dna
Animal populations
Animals
Archaeological sites
Australia
Biological Sciences
Biology
Canis familiaris
Chinese culture
Circles
Dingoes
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Dogs
Dogs - classification
Dogs - genetics
domestic dog
Evolution, Molecular
Founder Effect
Genetic mutation
Genetic Variation
Mitochondrial DNA
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polynesian studies
sequence
Studies
Time Factors
Wolves
Wolves - genetics
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Summary:To determine the origin and time of arrival to Australia of the dingo, 582 bp of the mtDNA control region were analyzed in 211 Australian dingoes sampled in all states of Australia, 676 dogs from all continents, and 38 Eurasian wolves, and 263 bp were analyzed in 19 pre-European archaeological dog samples from Polynesia. We found that all mtDNA sequences among dingoes were either identical to or differing by a single substitution from a single mtDNA type, A29. This mtDNA type, which was present in >50% of the dingoes, was found also among domestic dogs, but only in dogs from East Asia and Arctic America, whereas 18 of the 19 other types were unique to dingoes. The mean genetic distance to A29 among the dingo mtDNA sequences indicates an origin ≈5,000 years ago. From these results a detailed scenario of the origin and history of the dingo can be derived: dingoes have an origin from domesticated dogs coming from East Asia, possibly in connection with the Austronesian expansion into Island Southeast Asia. They were introduced from a small population of dogs, possibly at a single occasion, and have since lived isolated from other dog populations.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0401814101