Intrapopulation genetic differentiation of reindeer herd of Yamal experimental station

Relevance . Increasing the profitability of reindeer husbandry is possible through the introduction of modern methods of conducting breeding work, including using population genetic analysis. Methods . The DNA of Nenets reindeer (n = 100) was studied with respect to 16 microsatellite markers using the COrDIS Reindeer kit. Based on genetic similarity, in the Structure 2.3.4 program, animals were divided into clusters, in each of which the main genetic parameters were evaluated, as well as the degree of genetic similarity between clusters (k) and the population (Pop) as a whole was calculated. Results . It was found that the maximum number of observed and effective microsatellites was present in k5 (6,188 and 3,903, respectively). The first cluster was characterized by a lower genetic diversity (I = 1,202), the fifth — on the contrary, the maximum (I = 1,414). For k1, k4 and k5, there was a slight deviation towards an excess of heterozygotes (-0.061–0.029), and in general, a slight shift towards an increase in inbreeding was noted for Pop (Fis = 0.017). Private alleles Rt6186 and C276259 with a total frequency of 0.060 were detected in k1, Rt7240 and FCB193138 with a total prevalence of 0.079 in k2, the occurrence of private alleles Rt1267, BMS745330, NVHRT16142 was 0.100 in k4, and specific microsatellites in k5 BMS1788150, Rt30223, Rt7254, OheQ299, Rt24248 were found in 21.9% of animals. The genetic distance (DN) was minimal between k2 and k4 (0.043), and maximal between k2 and k3 (0.119). In relation to Pop, the maximum distance was viewed to k3 (DN = 0.049), and the smallest to k2 (DN = 0.025). The most noticeable true allelic differentiation was observed between Pop-k1 and Pop-k3 samples (Dest = 0.021), and there was no gap between Pop-k2 and Pop-k5 (Dest = -0.004–0.002).