Genetic structure and recovery of white‐tailed deer in Missouri

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Missouri have undergone changes in the past 100 years. From a historical estimate of 700,000 individuals, deer were nearly extirpated from the state following overexploitation in the late 1800s. Despite this, deer have since undergone a rapid expansion to the current population of 1.4 million. Because of this complex recent history, we sought to understand the levels and distribution of genetic diversity in deer across Missouri. We genotyped 751 deer at 10 microsatellite loci and used genetic distance metrics and Bayesian clustering analyses to identify distinct genetic groups. We also sequenced the mitochondrial control region from a subset (n = 248) of deer to identify historical lineages. We found high levels of nuclear marker diversity (HE = 0.818) and low, but statistically significant, levels of differentiation among regions. The high level of mitochondrial diversity (48 haplotypes; haplotype diversity = 0.621–0.964) is reflected in a haplotype network that suggests the persistent signature of translocated lineages. Overall, the white‐tailed deer of Missouri now represent a highly diverse population with no indication that there are barriers to gene flow. This will be an important consideration for the management of disease resistance and spread throughout the state. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.