Abstract
The muskox (Ovibos moschatus) is thought to have experienced significant genetic bottlenecks. Despite these bottlenecks, two subspecies of muskox, O. m. wardi and O. m. moschatus, have been commonly accepted, based on morphological differences and geographic separation. The reintroduction of muskoxen to Alaska from Greenland has created a situation in which the proposed subspecies might meet and interbreed as the Alaskan (O. m. wardi) and mainland Canadian (O. m. moschatus) populations expand their ranges. To attempt to define subspecific differences and investigate the appropriateness of potential interbreeding of Alaskan and Canadian mainland muskoxen, control-region sequences of mitochondrial DNA were compared among 37 muskoxen. Extremely little variation was found among all the muskoxen sampled. These results do not allow definition of muskox subspecies and suggest that the different populations may already have mixed. The low levels of variability further support historical and archaeological evidence of repeated bottlenecks throughout the history of the species.
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