GENETIC-VARIATION OF NATURALLY COLONIZING WOLVES IN THE CENTRAL ROCKY-MOUNTAINS

Recovery of gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations in North America depen ds on minimizing human-caused mortality and enhancing migration from s table source populations to suitable habitat unoccupied by wolves. We used a combination of field observation and DNA microsatellite genotyp ing to examine natural wolf colonization of Glacier National Park, Mon tana, and surrounding lands. We found high genetic variation in the co lonizing population, showing that these packs were founded by multiple , unrelated wolves form Canada. High dispersal rates, long dispersal d istances, and lack of a founding population bottleneck indicate the wo lves in the United States by artificial transplants from Alberta to Ye llowstone National Park and central Idaho began in 1995. The transplan ted wolves will likely and demographic recovery, but permanently retai ning the high genetic variation of wolves in the United States will re quire assuring gene flow throughout the central Rocky Mountains.