Sympatric populations of white-tailed deer and mule deer (Odocoileus virginianus and Odocoileus hemionus, respectively) on a west Texas ranch share a common mitochondrial DNA restriction map genotype. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that this genotype is more characteristic of 0.virginianus than of 0. hemionus. The genotype of west Texas deer differs from that of 0. virginianus from South Carolina by five mutational events (1.3% sequence divergence), whereas it differs from that of 0. hemionus from California by 17 events (5.5% divergence). We suggest that interspecies hybridization has occurred, primarily between mule deer bucks and whitetailed deer does, with preferential absorption of hybrid offspring into the mule deer gene pool. Introgressive hybridization may be involved in ongoing displacement of mule deer by white-tailed deer in west Texas.Natural hybridization between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer or black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) has long been suspected (1, 2). In New Mexico and west Texas, white-tailed deer have expanded their range westward at the expense of mule deer for some 40 years, and it has been suggested that hybridization might contribute to this displacement. Captive-breeding studies indicate that interspecific crosses are possible. Although most such matings are sterile, both reciprocal crosses can produce viable offspring, and at least some of these F1 progeny have been fertile in all backcross combinations (3, 4). This problem is of interest from both practical and theoretical considerations. Deer are among the most economically important wildlife species in the United States (5), and hybridization between species of ungulates or other large mammals appears to be rare in nature (6, 7). We are aware of only one published genetic study of natural hybridization among ungulates, a study of bison subspecies (8). Up to the present, the hypothesis of interspecies hybridization in deer has not been tested by quantitative genetic means.Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used extensively in studies of population biology in recent years (9-11). The entire molecule has been sequenced in four vertebrate species, as a result of which the positions and natures of the coding sequences, tRNA genes, and rRNA regions are known. The gene order is identical in the four species sequenced thus far (12-15). Because mtDNA is a separate genetic system, outside the nucleus, and seems to be strictly maternally inherited, it has been used as a probe of interspecies gene flow (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21).The two species of the genus Odocoileus are distributed throughout North America. Mule deer (including conspecific black-tailed deer of the Pacific Northwest) are primarily western animals, whereas white-tailed deer are more common in the central and eastern United States and in Central America. The two species are broadly sympatric over much oftheir range (22). They are distinguished morphologically by several criteria, including the form of the antlers and the size of the met...
mtDNA haplotypes of representatives of the cosmopolitan peoples of north-central Mexico were studied. Two hundred twenty-three samples from individuals residing in vicinities of two localities in north-central Mexico were analyzed. A combination of strategies was employed to identify the origin of each haplotype, including length variation analysis of the COII and tRNALYS intergenic region, nucleotide sequence analysis of control region hypervariable segment 1, and RFLP analysis of PCR products spanning diagnostic sites. Analysis of these data revealed that the majority of the mtDNA haplotypes were of Native American origin, belonging to one of four primary Native American haplogroups. Others were of European or African origin, and the frequency of African haplotypes was equivalent to that of haplotypes of European derivation. These results provide diagnostic, discrete character, molecular genetic evidence that, together with results of previous studies of classical genetic systems, is informative with regard to both the magnitude of African admixture and the relative maternal contribution of African, European, and Native American peoples to the genetic heritage of Mexico. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that African sequences formed a basal, paraphyletic group.
Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the "Vermejo Statement" on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, "Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures." We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and analyzed the current and potential future distributions of bison on the basis of expert assessment. Although more than 500,000 bison exist in North America today, we estimated they occupy <1% of their historical range and in no place express the full range of ecological and social values of previous times. By formulating an inclusive, affirmative, and specific vision through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, we hope to provide a foundation for conservation of bison, and other wide-ranging species, over the next 100 years.
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