Characterization of the genetic diversity of a population of Odocoileus virginianus veraecrucis in captivity using microsatellite markers

Abstract

The genetic diversity and effective population size (Ne) of a population of Odocoileus virginianus veraecrucis in captivity were characterized in the Wildlife Management Unit “El Pochote”, located in Ixtaczoquitlán, Veracruz, Mexico. Blood tissue was collected from 20 individuals of the reproductive nucleus, its genomic DNA was extracted, and genetic diversity was characterized by six microsatellites amplified by PCR and visualized in polyacrylamide gels. With four polymorphic microsatellites, 66.7% of the population’s genetic variation was explained, which was characterized by an allelic diversity that fluctuated between 9 and 28 alleles (18 average alleles), suggesting a mean allelic diversity (Shannon index = 2.6 ± 0.25), but only 12 ± 2.9 effective alleles would be fixed in the next generation. The heterozygosity observed (Ho= 0.81) exceeded that expected (He= 0.79) and these were significantly different (P> 0.05), as a result of a low genetic structure in the population (fixation index F = -0.112 ± 0.03), due to the genetic heterogeneity that each sample contributed, since the specimens came from different geographical regions. The Ne was 625 individuals and a 1:25 male:female ratio, with which 100% of the genetic diversity observed can be maintained for 100 years. The information obtained in the study can help in the design of a reproductive management program to maintain the present genetic diversity, without risk of losses due to genetic drift and inbreeding.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Captive Populations of Formosan Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor swinhoei)

“…Microsatellites are suitable for analyzing both parentage and inbreeding levels [18,19]. Numerous studies have utilized microsatellites to assess the genetic diversity, population structure, and parentage of captive animals, including Chinese water deer [19], sika deer [20], Asian woolly-necked storks [21], and white-tailed deer [22]. Historically, studies on the Formosan sambar deer have primarily focused on wild populations, including habitat selection [3] and bark-stripping behavior [23].…”

Phylogeography of the Central american red brocket deer, Mazama temama (Artiodactyla, Cervidae) in southeastern Mexico

“…On the American continent, particularly in Mexico, phylogeography has been used to study populations of wild fauna, especially endemic mammals, or those sought by hunters, or those included in some category of risk, leading to important implications for their conservation (Vázquez-Domínguez 2005;Vega et al 2007;Vázquez-Domínguez et al 2009;Escobedo-Morales et al 2016). There is evidence that phylogeographic studies have had a considerable impact on species management (Vázquez-Domínguez and Vega 2002), especially in the ungulates, describing cervid lineages in order to define particular strategies of management (Serna-Lagunes et al 2021), identifying bottlenecks and low gene flow in species of interest to hunters (Castillo-Rodríguez et al 2020) and evidence of genetic divergence among lineages of the same species (Fuentes-Hurtado et al 2011). In this sense, in this study we describe the phylogeographic structure of two populations of M. temama.…”