Genetic variability in Norwegian wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.).

Abstract

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to score genetic variation at 35 loci in wild reindeer, Rangifer tarandus L., sampled from five different areas within two mountain regions in southern Norway. The amount of genetic variability was within the range reported in mammals in general. The proportion of polymorphic loci at the 99% criterion for polymorphism varied from 0.114 to 0.200, while the average heterozygosity varied from 0.041 to 0.053 in the five populations investigated. The mean value of genetic distance between populations was 0.0017, and highly significant allele frequency differences were observed in reindeer from the two mountain regions, as well as within regions. This finding suggests that the amount of gene flow between local populations of wild reindeer can be highly restricted even in the presence of migration. The amount of genetic variability in wild reindeer is compared with previously reported values for semidomestic reindeer investigated with the same loci and techniques as in the present study. The wild reindeer reveal slightly more genetic variability than do semi-domestic reindeer and this is discussed in relation to the importance of genetic variability in the early domestication process.