Genome‐wide SNP assessment of contemporary European red deer genetic structure highlights the distinction of peripheral populations and the main admixture zones in Europe

Genome-wide technologies open up new possibilities to clarify questions on genetic structure and phylogeographic history of taxa previously studied with microsatellite loci and mitochondrial sequences. Here, we used 736 individual red deer (Cervus elaphus) samples genotyped at 35,701 single nucleotide polymorphism loci (SNPs) to assess the population structure of the species throughout Europe. The results identified 28 populations, with higher degrees of genetic distinction in peripheral compared to mainland populations. Iberian red deer show high genetic differentiation, with lineages in Western and Central Iberia maintaining their distinctiveness, which supports separate refugial ranges within Iberia along with little recent connection between Iberian and the remaining Western European populations. The Norwegian population exhibited the lowest variability and the largest allele frequency differences from mainland European populations, compatible with a history of bottlenecks and drift during post-glacial colonization from southern refugia. Scottish populations showed high genetic distance from the mainland but high levels of diversity. Hybrid zones were found between Eastern and Western European lineages in Central Europe as well as in the Pyrenees, where red deer from France are in close contact with Iberian red deer. Anthropogenic restocking has promoted the Pyrenean contact zone, admixture events in populations on the Isle of Rum and in the Netherlands, and at least partly the admixture of the two main lineages in central-eastern Europe. Our analysis enabled detailed resolution of population structure of a large mammal widely distributed throughout Europe and contributes to resolving the evolutionary history, which can also inform conservation and management policies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Molecular Ecology
Published
2024-08-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17508
Citations
12
Primary Topic
Genetic diversity and population structure
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.60

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article

Genome‐wide SNP assessment of contemporary European red deer genetic structure highlights the distinction of peripheral populations and the main admixture zones in Europe

Paweł Mackiewicz, Jordi Ruiz‐Olmo, S. Eryn McFarlane, Magdalena Niedziałkowska et al.
12 citations
Molecular Ecology
Genetic diversity and population structure
6.60
article

Genome‐wide SNP assessment of contemporary European red deer genetic structure highlights the distinction of peripheral populations and the main admixture zones in Europe

Paweł Mackiewicz, Jordi Ruiz‐Olmo, S. Eryn McFarlane, Magdalena Niedziałkowska, Juan Carranza, Christine Saint‐Andrieux, Eva de la Peña, Giovanni Vedel, A. Membrillo, Josephine M. Pemberton, Aurélie Barboiron, Sándor Csányi, Gabriel Anaya, Menno de Jong, Allan D. McDevitt, Frank E. Zachos, Maciej Sykut, José A. Godoy, Camilla Broggini, Javier Pérez‐González, Araceli Gort‐Esteve, Knut H. Røed, José Manuel Seoane, Lázló Csirke, Norber Bleier
article en
12 citations

Abstract

Genome-wide technologies open up new possibilities to clarify questions on genetic structure and phylogeographic history of taxa previously studied with microsatellite loci and mitochondrial sequences. Here, we used 736 individual red deer (Cervus elaphus) samples genotyped at 35,701 single nucleotide polymorphism loci (SNPs) to assess the population structure of the species throughout Europe. The results identified 28 populations, with higher degrees of genetic distinction in peripheral compared to mainland populations. Iberian red deer show high genetic differentiation, with lineages in Western and Central Iberia maintaining their distinctiveness, which supports separate refugial ranges within Iberia along with little recent connection between Iberian and the remaining Western European populations. The Norwegian population exhibited the lowest variability and the largest allele frequency differences from mainland European populations, compatible with a history of bottlenecks and drift during post-glacial colonization from southern refugia. Scottish populations showed high genetic distance from the mainland but high levels of diversity. Hybrid zones were found between Eastern and Western European lineages in Central Europe as well as in the Pyrenees, where red deer from France are in close contact with Iberian red deer. Anthropogenic restocking has promoted the Pyrenean contact zone, admixture events in populations on the Isle of Rum and in the Netherlands, and at least partly the admixture of the two main lineages in central-eastern Europe. Our analysis enabled detailed resolution of population structure of a large mammal widely distributed throughout Europe and contributes to resolving the evolutionary history, which can also inform conservation and management policies.

Molecular EcologyVol. 33(18)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Natural History Museum Vienna (AT), Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem (HU), University of Vienna (AT), York University (CA), University of Wrocław (PL), University of the Free State (ZA), Mammal Research Institute (PL), Charles Darwin University (AU), Estación Biológica de Doñana (ES), Munster Technological University (IE), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (ES), French National Agency for Water and Aquatic Environments (FR), Ministry of Agriculture (HU), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Atlantic Technological University (IE), University of Córdoba (ES), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NO), Universidad de Extremadura (ES), University of Edinburgh (GB), Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Sight Research UK, European Commission, Natural Environment Research Council, European Regional Development Fund
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Genetic diversity and population structure
6.60
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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