Analysis of coyote mitochondrial DNA genotype frequencies: estimation of the effective number of alleles.

A restriction-site survey of 327 coyotes (Canis latrans) from most parts of their North American range reveals 32 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genotypes. The genotypes are not strongly partitioned in space, suggesting that there is high gene flow among coyote subpopulations. Consequently, each new geographic location added to the study has a decreasing probability of containing a mtDNA genotype that had not been previously discovered. This being the case, by using Monte Carlo sampling experiments, we can estimate the total number of genotypes that would be found if all possible localities were surveyed. This estimate of total genotypic variability agrees qualitatively with estimates based on theoretical considerations of the expected number of alleles in a stable population. We also predict effective population sizes from genotype data. The accuracy of these estimates is thought to be dependent on the fact that coyotes are not highly genetically structured, a situation which may apply to highly mobile species.