Mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite analyses of the genetic status of the presumed subspecies Cervus elaphus montanus (Carpathian red deer).

The possibly distinct Carpathian red deer was compared genetically to other European populations. We screened 120 red deer specimens from Serbia, the Romanian lowland and the Romanian Carpathians for genetic variability using 582 bp of the mitochondrial control region and nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci. The study aimed at a population genetic characterization of the Carpathian red deer, which are often treated as a distinct subspecies (Cervus elaphus montanus). The genetic integrity of the Carpathian populations was confirmed through the haplotype distribution, private alleles and genetic distances. The Carpathian red deer are thus identified as one of the few remaining natural populations of this species, deserving special attention among game and conservation biologists. The history of the populations studied, in particular the introduction of Carpathian red deer into Romanian lowland areas in the 20th century, was reflected by the genetic data.

Feulner PG ，Bielfeldt W ，Zachos FE ，Bradvarovic J ，Eckert I ，Hartl GB ... -  《HEREDITY》

Genetic consequences of human management in an introduced island population of red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Nussey DH ，Pemberton J ，Donald A ，Kruuk LE ... -  《HEREDITY》

Genetic diversity and population structure of Scottish Highland red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations: a mitochondrial survey.

Pérez-Espona S ，Pérez-Barbería FJ ，Goodall-Copestake WP ，Jiggins CD ，Gordon IJ ，Pemberton JM ... -  《-》

A phylogenetic comparison of red deer and wapiti using mitochondrial DNA.

A phylogeny was constructed for red deer/wapiti (Cervus elaphus) subspecies using sequence data from the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The tree was rooted using Cervus nippon (sika deer), Cervus albirostris (Thorold's white-lipped deer), and several Odocoileinae species. A division between the mtDNA haplotypes of red deer (European) and wapiti (Asian/North American) corresponds to subspecies found on opposite sides of the Himalayan Mountains and Gobi, which suggests wapiti should be reconsidered for the status of C. canadensis. Using parsimony and distance analysis, red deer and wapiti are derived from a single recent common ancestor, which is consistent with current taxonomy that recognizes the subspecies of Cervus elaphus as monophyletic group. However, maximum-likelihood analysis using weighted transitional substitutions caused red deer to form a sister group to sika deer (Cervus nippon) and wapiti. A phenetic comparison revealed wapiti also share more nucleotide similarities with sika deer, although approximately 5% sequence divergence separates wapiti, sika, and red deer. Phylogenetic evidence from the cytochrome b sequences corroborated observations from the control region. Observations from this study suggest that the species status of wapiti should be reinstated.

Polziehn RO ，Strobeck C 《MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION》

A preliminary study of the genetic diversity of Xinjiang Tarim red deer (Cervus elaphus yarkandensis) using the microsatellite DNA method.

To evaluate the genetic diversity of the Xinjiang Tarim red deer (Cervus elaphus yarkandensis) population, we analyzed the frequencies of microsatellite alleles. Samples were collected from 3 isolated populations in Xaya, Lopnur and Qarqan of Xinjiang. Although 10 microsatellite loci were examined, alleles of 133 to 190 base-pairs were detected for only 3 loci: BM5004, BM4208 and BM888. The average observed multilocus heterozygosity was 0.08 +/- 0.04 for the Xaya, 0 for the Lopnur, and 0.17 +/- 0.08 for the Qarqan population. The average heterozygosity of all populations was 0.08 +/- 0.02. The observed heterozygosities were significantly lower than the expected values. The present results suggest that the bottleneck effect has occurred in the populations of the Xinjiang Tarim red deer.

Mahmut H ，Ganzorig S ，Onuma M ，Masuda R ，Suzuki M ，Ohtaishi N ... -  《JAPANESE JOURNAL OF VETERINARY RESEARCH》