A mitochondrial DNA control region phylogeny of the Cervinae: speciation in Cervus and implications for conservation

Abstract

Sequences from complete mitochondrial control regions (mtDNA CR) were used to infer phylogenetic relationships in 25 Cervinae taxa. Cervus splits into clades that are partially discordant with current species delimitations. Nominate Cervus elaphus includes two divergent clades that must be referred to as species elaphus (European elaphoid deer) and canadensis (Eurasian and North American wapitoid deer). Cervus nippon splits into Japanese and continental plus Taiwan sika. Père David's deer is nested within Cervus, suggesting that Elaphurus should be merged with Cervus. European and Persian fallow deer are genetically divergent and distinct species. Sequence length varied due to a CR‐I insertion, tandemly repeated twice in rusa and sambar deer, sika and wapiti, and repeated up to six times in a clade of Japanese sika. Variable copy numbers of this repeat are also fixed in different sika subspecies, and could be used as a diagnostic marker for subspecies. Sequence variability at the mtDNA CR is informative for defining species and subspecies boundaries, and for locating the geographical origin of captive‐reared stocks. Natural and farmed populations of some species have been deeply affected by human management and the conservation of deer populations would be aided by the appropriate identification of the different evolutionary and taxonomic units.

Somatic Chromosomes of the Bornean Sambar Deer and Rusa Deer Interspecific Hybrids

“…These markers confirmed a significant level of similarity among the two species although genetic variants for several loci present in some sambar deer were not found in rusa deer. Following this, the relationship in the Cervus species has been elucidated using sequences from complete mitochondrial DNA control regions [13]. Their data suggested that the two species were genetically close to each other.…”

The surprising evolutionary history of South American deer

“…4 including morphology (Merino et al, 2005), isozymes (Smith et al, 1986), cytogenetics (Duarte and Merino, 1997), and DNA sequences (Randi et al, 1998;Randi et al, 2001;Pitra et al, 2004;Gilbert et al, 2006), a great deal of confusion still remains with regards to their evolutionary history and taxonomy. These studies resulted in conflicting hypotheses about the phylogenetic relationships within the Neotropical cervids and hence, inducing uncertain evolutionary interpretations.…”

“…The small red brocket was later recognized based on the enormous karyotypical distance (2n = 32 to 34 in M. bororo vs. 2n = 50 to 53 in M. americana of the same geographic region; Duarte and Jorge, 2003 (Randi et al, 1998(Randi et al, , 2001Pitra et al, 2004;Gilbert et al, 2006). haplotype that was obtained from GenBank did not have a species designation.…”

Genetic consequences of human management in an introduced island population of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

“…One of these groups comprised a single invariant ('RUM A'). As the region of mt CR sequenced using the 'PRO' primer captures most of the nucleotide variation along this region in C. elaphus (Douzery and Randi, 1997;Randi et al, 2001) and the large sample of deer that was fully sequenced revealed no mt CR variation in RUM A haplotypes, we decided to use a combination of restriction enzyme digestion and mt CR sequencing using only 'PRO' to haplotype the remaining samples. Extraction and PCR of the remaining 95 samples from Blocks 1 to 3 were conducted as above.…”

“…One notable exception is support from mitochondrial phylogenies for the taxonomic separation of red deer from the Tyrrhenian islands (Corsica and Sardinia) and North Africa from other mainland North and West European populations (Randi et al, 2001;Ludt et al, 2004).…”