Microsatellite Analysis of Three Subspecies of Elk (Cervus elaphus) in California
Autor: | Robert J. Schaefer, Holly B. Ernest, J. D. Banks, Bernie May, Jeff A. Rodzen, Thomas R. Famula, E. P. Meredith |
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Rok vydání: | 2007 |
Předmět: |
Genetic diversity
Tule elk education.field_of_study Ecology biology animal diseases Population Subspecies biology.organism_classification Roosevelt elk fluids and secretions Population bottleneck Genetic distance Genetics Animal Science and Zoology education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Rocky Mountain elk |
Zdroj: | Journal of Mammalogy. 88:801-808 |
ISSN: | 1545-1542 0022-2372 |
Popis: | A total of 676 elk (Cervus elaphus) were genotyped at 16 tetranucleotide microsatellite loci to evaluate genetic differences among 3 subspecies of elk in California: tule (C. e. nannodes), Roosevelt (C. e. roosevelti), and Rocky Mountain (C. e. nelsoni) elk. Of the 13 populations analyzed, 5 represented tule elk herds, 3 were Roosevelt elk, 2 were Rocky Mountain elk, and 3 were of uncertain taxonomic status. Overall, populations averaged between 7 and 8 alleles per locus, with observed heterozygosity values ranging from 0.33 to 0.58 per population. Tule elk, which experienced a severe bottleneck in the 1870s, had consistently less genetic diversity than the other subspecies. All 3 subspecies were significantly differentiated, with the greatest genetic distance seen between the tule and Roosevelt subspecies. Assignment of individuals to subspecies using microsatellite data was nearly 100% accurate. Despite the past population bottleneck, significant differences were found among the tule elk herds. Assignment testing of elk from Modoc, Siskiyou, and Shasta counties to determine subspecific status of individuals suggested that these populations contained both Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk and their hybrids, indicating that these elk subspecies interbreed where subspecies coexist. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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