Animal Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 39-48 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/amb 46 identification of morphology and behavior variants in the domestic dog and proved its applicability to wider use in canid behavioral genetics (Plassais et al., 2019). 9.2 Unanswered questions and areas for further research Despite amazing strides, there are a number of problems that remain unsolved in canid behavioral genetics. One of the more salient areas to be investigated is the genetic determinants of interspecific variation in behavior, e.g., wolves vs. coyotes vs. domestic dogs. Finding out how specific genetic variations contribute to these variations may provide us with some clues about evolutionary pressures that have shaped canid behavior (Mikkel-Holger et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2020). Also, the impact of hybridization is not known. Hybrid dogs, like coyote-dog hybrids, were discovered to possess unique behavioral patterns by means of studies (Heppenheimer et al., 2020; Caragiulo et al., 2022). 9.3 Potential for cross-species insights into behavioral genetics Behavioral genetics cross-species comparison among different canid species offers a fascinating potential for generating cross-species inferences. For example, the comparison of genetic convergences and divergences between domestic dogs and high-altitude adapted wolves enables one to comprehend how particular genetic traits have been modeled through environmental pressure (Wang et al., 2020). Similarly, a comparison of domestication between dogs and wild canids can inform us about the selection pressures behind the expression of numerous behaviors in domestic dogs today (Zhao, 2018; McKechnie et al., 2020). Cross-species comparisons like these have the power to propel our understanding of the genetic basis of behavior and can be used to advise conservation and management of wild canid populations. 10 Conclusion This comparative dog behavior genetics, coyotes, and wolves gives fundamental information about the genetic basis of behavior and evolution. Elaborate studies have uncovered some of the gene-behavior associations, notably through selection breeding in dogs, that have imposed limits on the ways domestication has affected behaviors. Gene expression changes in brain areas between wolves and dogs also mirror fundamental behavioral adaptations caused by domestication. Events of hybridization between coyotes and wolves or domestic dogs and coyotes have brought in adaptive genetic variants that influence behavior and ecological niches. Moreover, molecular genetic tooling has confirmed the complex evolutionary relationships and gene flow between canid species and thus conservation is complicated. An understanding of canid behavioral genetics is a key to disentangling their history of evolution and adaptation as well as to broad biological and ecological research. High levels of gene flow and hybridization between canid populations emphasize the role of genetic variation for adaptation to environmental change. The findings are of relevance to conservation, particularly to the management of hybrid zones and conservation of the genetic integrity of endangered species. Additionally, canid behavioral genetics results generalize across taxa and uncover general processes of gene-environment interactions as well as the rapid adaptive response evoked by selective pressures. Acknowledgments We deeply grateful to the reviewers for their detailed feedback and guidance on this paper. Their keen insights into the issues and attention to detail have greatly benefited the author. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Breck S., Poessel S., Mahoney P., and Young J., 2019, The intrepid urban coyote: a comparison of bold and exploratory behavior in coyotes from urban and rural environments, Scientific Reports, 9: 21067. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38543-5
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==