Genetic structure of introduced European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) in Tasmania, Australia

Abstract

European fallow deer are an introduced species classified as partly protected wildlife in Tasmania, Australia. Current management practices are primarily governed under the Quality Deer Management regime, in which animals are harvested during designated hunting seasons. Among populations, prominent morphological differences have been reported; however, the genetic relationship of these populations has until now been poorly understood. Representative animals were sampled from three key areas across their range and genotyped at ten polymorphic microsatellite loci to investigate genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic bottlenecks. Allelic richness was low in all three populations and ranged between 2.20 and 2.49 alleles/locus.A genetic bottleneck was detected in two of the three populations (P < 0.001). Population differentiation was evident between Lake Echo and Benham (q =0.122; P < 0.001) and Benham and Connorville (q = 0.110; P<0.001), but not between Lake Echo and Connorville (q=0.0235), with individuals being identified as belonging to two genetic clusters. The pattern of population differentiation from the three study populations suggests that deer from the western region of their range are genetically distinct to those from the eastern region. This correlates with morphological variation within Tasmanian fallow deer, in which differences between the regions maybe attributable to geographical barriers.

Population genetic structure of wild and farmed rusa deer (Cervus timorensis russa) in New-Caledonia inferred from polymorphic microsatellite loci

“…This is similar to the results obtained by other authors who documented the genetics of introduced rusa deer in Australia (Webley et al 2004(Webley et al , 2007, as well as other deer species re-introduced in other parts of the world (e.g., DeYoung et al 2003). However, although both wild and domestic sub-populations in New-Caledonia revealed genetic signatures of a bottleneck, probably the same that occurred in 1872 with the introduction of 12 individuals, both the genetic diversity and the structure of the two population groups (farmed and wild) are quite contrasted.…”

“…The consequences of bottlenecks may include the loss of rare alleles, followed by the reduction in the mean number of alleles and heterozygosity, the fixation of deleterious alleles, and potentially inbreeding depression. However, although the reduction of genetic diversity has been demonstrated by molecular data for several deer populations that experienced founder effects (e.g., Broders et al 1999;Webley et al 2004Webley et al , 2007 other instances such as the white-tailed deer reintroduction in Mississippi (DeYoung et al 2003) were not associated with a significant reduction in genetic diversity. On the other hand, genetic diversity of farmed animal populations is commonly shaped by human activities.…”

“…Deer populations represent good models to assess jointly the consequences of introduction events and of breeding practices on genetic diversity, since, on several independent occasions, individuals were commonly introduced into islands ( Barrau and Devambez 1957;Webley et al 2004Webley et al , 2007Whitehead 1993). In addition, this is one of the few mammal species for which farmed and wild/feral populations may be found in sympatry.…”

A systematic review of the impacts and management of introduced deer (family Cervidae) in Australia

“…Similarly, vegetation management using mechanical slashing did not alter habitat use by hog deer (Davis et al 2016). The influence of ecological and physiological limits, geographical barriers (Webley et al 2007), drought, climate change, land-use patterns, predation (including hunting) and disease on expansion of Australian deer populations remains unknown.…”

Genetic consequences of intensive conservation management for the Mauritius parakeet

“…This finding suggests that genetic monitoring of populations undergoing reintroductions and translocations should be carried out not just prior to intervention, but also afterwards as part of long-term monitoring to assess the genetic impacts of population management. Webley et al (2007) detected two genetically distinct clusters in an introduced population of European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) in Tasmania; as such, the authors recommended that migration between the two clusters be encouraged to promote gene flow. Importantly, although our study has shown how gene flow has been promoted in the Mauritius parakeet as a consequence of management, these actions were motivated by a need to increase productivity rather than to promote genetic mixing.…”