Genetic Variation of Red Deer Populations under Hunting Exploitation in Southwestern Spain

Martínez, José Gregório; Carranza, Juan; Fernández-García, José Luis; Sánchez-Prieto, Cristina B.

doi:10.2307/3802960

Cited by 66 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Expected heterozygosity is generally preferred to observed heterozygosity as a measure of variability due to its being less sensitive to sample size. Except for the two notoriously bottlenecked and inbred populations of Sardinia and Mesola, Italy, none of the populations analysed by Martinez et al (2002), Zachos et al (2003), Feulner et al (2004) and Hmwe et al (2006a) showed an expected heterozygosity as low as that of Hasselbusch, and the great majority of them was considerably more heterozygous. This also holds for the red deer from Segeberg, from which the Hasselbusch population was derived, as both expected heterozygosity and allelic richness are considerably higher in Segeberg than in Hasselbusch (see Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Classical examples of inbreeding depression are, for instance, European bison (Bison bonasus, see Hartl and Pucek 1994 and references therein for reviews) or cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and Florida panthers (Felis concolor) where an increase in disease vulnerability and malformations of the genitals have been reported (see O'Brien et al 1996;Frankham et al 2002 and the collection of papers in the May 2006 issue of Animal Conservation for reviews). However, while conservation issues with respect to numerically threatened, "charismatic" species such as rhinos, bears or big cats have long been addressed by researchers, common species like the red deer are only beginning to be studied from a conservation viewpoint, although a variety of anthropogenic factors, in particular selective hunting, translocations and, above all, habitat fragmentation, have a deep impact on the genetic architecture of populations (Martinez et al 2002;Hartl et al 2003Hartl et al , 2005Kuehn et al 2003;Hmwe et al 2006a,b). In Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost federal state, red deer are not threatened in terms of total census population size-at present, there are about 1,500 head-but due to the increase in genetic isolation among the different stocks and the resulting danger of severely decreasing effective population sizes and concomitant drift and inbreeding, the red deer has been included in the regional Red List as "near threatened".…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic analysis of an isolated red deer (Cervus elaphus) population showing signs of inbreeding depression

et al. 2006

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In the present study, we analysed 18 red deer specimens from a small (N=50) and isolated population in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, with respect to variability at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and 439 bp of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Several cases of brachygnathy (shortened lower jaw), commonly associated with inbreeding depression, have been recorded in the population. Genetic variability was very low compared with other European red deer populations including the neighbouring population from which the population under study was derived some 130 years ago. The effective population size was estimated to be seven individuals corresponding to an increase in inbreeding (or a loss of heterozygosity) of 7% each generation. This value is seven times higher than the theoretical threshold level up to which natural selection is believed to counteract the fixation of deleterious alleles in the gene pool. As a consequence, the population urgently needs genetic input from other populations to overcome the negative effects of random drift and inbreeding. To our knowledge, this study is one of the first to genetically analyse a red deer population showing strong signs of inbreeding depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic analysis of an isolated red deer (Cervus elaphus) population showing signs of inbreeding depression

et al. 2006

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“…Using mostly the same microsatellite loci, Kuehn et al (2003) obtained similarly low H e values only for two isolated populations. Other studies generally report higher population averages for H e values, both using the same and different microsatellite loci (Frantz et al 2006(Frantz et al , 2008Hmwe et al 2006b;Kuehn et al 2004;Martínez et al 2002;Pérez-Espona et al 2008;Zachos et al 2007). These comparisons lend strength to the conclusion that the isolated red deer populations in Brittany have a low genetic variability relative to other study populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…In regions where the species' distribution is discontinuous, red deer are often maintained at high densities in isolated forest fragments, leading to concerns about the loss of genetic variability due to isolation (Kuehn et al 2003;Martínez et al 2002). For instance, Fernandez-de-Mera et al (2009) found evidence for a reduction of allelic diversity at the major histocompatibility complex in a fenced, hunter-managed red deer population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Population structure and genetic diversity of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in forest fragments in north-western France

et al. 2011

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Red deer have been subjected to anthropogenic interference for many centuries. Most populations are managed according to hunting schedules, some have been kept long-term in enclosures and other populations have been restocked with foreign deer. The red deer in the Brittany region of north-western France only occupy the largest forests in the region, reaching quite high densities in restricted areas. Here, we aimed to assess the extent of the genetic variability of the populations in four forest fragments and investigate their population genetic structure. We show that, despite relatively large expected heterozygosity values, these geographically isolated populations are genetically impoverished relative to individuals from large continuous forests in other parts of Western Europe. We provide evidence for population genetic structure with large genetic differentiation between geographically close populations, suggesting the absence of effective exchange between the forests. Using samples from the most likely source population, we show that at least two populations were non-indigenous. In order to limit further loss of genetic diversity, it should be a management objective to reduce isolation of the different forests, rather than further increase it by fences and hunting practices that could limit free movement of red deer.

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“…In most ungulates, for example, breeding population size, generation length and adult longevity, and mating structure, including the breeding sex ratio and harem size, can have a large influence on the dynamics of genetic and phenotypic variation under exploitation (61)(62)(63)(64). Exploitation tends to skew the breeding sex ratio (65) and reduce adult longevity, especially of males, and mean male reproductive success and variance in progeny number per family.…”

Section: Huntingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-induced evolution caused by unnatural selection through harvest of wild animals

Allendorf

Hard

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

475

417

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Human harvest of phenotypically desirable animals from wild populations imposes selection that can reduce the frequencies of those desirable phenotypes. Hunting and fishing contrast with agricultural and aquacultural practices in which the most desirable animals are typically bred with the specific goal of increasing the frequency of desirable phenotypes. We consider the potential effects of harvest on the genetics and sustainability of wild populations. We also consider how harvesting could affect the mating system and thereby modify sexual selection in a way that might affect recruitment. Determining whether phenotypic changes in harvested populations are due to evolution, rather than phenotypic plasticity or environmental variation, has been problematic. Nevertheless, it is likely that some undesirable changes observed over time in exploited populations (e.g., reduced body size, earlier sexual maturity, reduced antler size, etc.) are due to selection against desirable phenotypes-a process we call ''unnatural'' selection. Evolution brought about by human harvest might greatly increase the time required for over-harvested populations to recover once harvest is curtailed because harvesting often creates strong selection differentials, whereas curtailing harvest will often result in less intense selection in the opposing direction. We strongly encourage those responsible for managing harvested wild populations to take into account possible selective effects of harvest management and to implement monitoring programs to detect exploitation-induced selection before it seriously impacts viability.conservation ͉ genetic change ͉ human exploitation

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Genetic Variation of Red Deer Populations under Hunting Exploitation in Southwestern Spain

Cited by 66 publications

References 42 publications

Genetic analysis of an isolated red deer (Cervus elaphus) population showing signs of inbreeding depression

Genetic analysis of an isolated red deer (Cervus elaphus) population showing signs of inbreeding depression

Population structure and genetic diversity of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in forest fragments in north-western France

Human-induced evolution caused by unnatural selection through harvest of wild animals

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