Reconstructing the history of a fragmented and heavily exploited red deer population using ancient and contemporary DNA

Abstract

BackgroundRed deer (Cervus elaphus) have been an important human resource for millennia, experiencing intensive human influence through habitat alterations, hunting and translocation of animals. In this study we investigate a time series of ancient and contemporary DNA from Norwegian red deer spanning about 7,000 years. Our main aim was to investigate how increasing agricultural land use, hunting pressure and possibly human mediated translocation of animals have affected the genetic diversity on a long-term scale.ResultsWe obtained mtDNA (D-loop) sequences from 73 ancient specimens. These show higher genetic diversity in ancient compared to extant samples, with the highest diversity preceding the onset of agricultural intensification in the Early Iron Age. Using standard diversity indices, Bayesian skyline plot and approximate Bayesian computation, we detected a population reduction which was more prolonged than, but not as severe as, historic documents indicate. There are signs of substantial changes in haplotype frequencies primarily due to loss of haplotypes through genetic drift. There is no indication of human mediated translocations into the Norwegian population. All the Norwegian sequences show a western European origin, from which the Norwegian lineage diverged approximately 15,000 years ago.ConclusionsOur results provide direct insight into the effects of increasing habitat fragmentation and human hunting pressure on genetic diversity and structure of red deer populations. They also shed light on the northward post-glacial colonisation process of red deer in Europe and suggest increased precision in inferring past demographic events when including both ancient and contemporary DNA.

Strong population structure in a species manipulated by humans since the Neolithic: the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama)

“…At the mtDNA locus, both haplotype and gene diversity metrics were low for a given sampling region, consistent with other cervid populations that had been through population bottlenecks (see, for example, Haanes et al , 2010; Rosvold et al , 2012; Baker and Hoelzel, 2013), with the exception of Italy. This exception is consistent with the N e estimates where Italy mean estimates are highest (compared with Spain and Turkey; Table 3), though the confidence limits are broad and overlapping.…”

Late‐glacial recolonization and phylogeography of European red deer (Cervus elaphus L.)

“…; Rosvold et al . ) and a representation of high genetic diversity in the past. Nonetheless, the genetic results, together with the long sequence of radiocarbon dates from Iberia (Fig.…”

“…; Rosvold et al . ). Coupled with habitat fragmentation, especially in the 20th century, these factors could have drastically affected the apparent genetic structure (Avise et al .…”

Postglacial expansion and not human influence best explains the population structure in the endangered kea (Nestor notabilis)

“…; Tracy & Jamieson ; Rosvold et al . ). For instance, it has been shown in mohua ( Mohoua ochrocephala ), an endemic passerine of New Zealand, that contemporary genetic structure was the result of a recent anthropogenic effect (i.e.…”