Out of Asia: An Allopatric Model for the Evolution of the Domestic Dog
Figure 1
The historic distribution of wolves from arctic through subtropical latitudes is represented in grey. The various sympatric models (a) of domestic dog evolution propose that dogs evolved from within wolf populations. Some models predict multiple origins, and others do not specify the number of origins. Arrows represent spread of dogs once domestication has occurred. The Indonesian allopatric model (b) proposes that wolf scavenger populations were able to follow humans onto the Indonesian plateau where they were isolated from hunting populations of wolves which do not extend into tropical habitats. Arrows represent movement onto the Indonesian plateau and subsequent spread across Eurasia. The refugium allopatric model (c) proposes that some human populations and wolf scavenger populations were separated from hunting wolf populations on patches of habitat which were isolated during the Pleistocene. Arrows represent spread of dogs after domestication within the refugia.
