New phylogeographic insights support the distinctiveness and conservation value of the little-known Greek roe deer populations

Abstract

Despite their conservation status as Vulnerable and the need for targeted management actions, very little is actually known about the genetic diversity and phylogeography of the remnant populations of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Greece. In order to investigate these aspects we collected samples from nine locations in Greece and retrieved 80 sequences (834–836bp) for a fragment of the mtDNA control region. Analysis revealed high overall haplotype diversity, low nucleotide diversity and significant population structuring with site-specific haplotypes. In order to assign Greek roe deer haplotypes to previously identified haplogroups, we integrated our data with available roe deer sequences from across Europe. The analysis of the combined dataset showed that most of the haplotypes retrieved from Greek populations are novel, geographically confined and belong exclusively to the "Eastern" phylogeographic group. The indigenous populations of Greece are genetically distinct from other Balkan populations, which have a significant genetic component from the "Central" group. The Greek populations carry part of the ancestral gene pool of Late Pleistocene Balkan refugium, which has not contributed to the postglacial expansion of the species. The current phylogeographic pattern of roe deer in Greece seems to be the result of genetic drift due to habitat fragmentation and population decline. The genetic integrity of Greek roe deer should be maintained by avoiding uncontrolled reintroductions or translocations that could lead to admixture with allochthonous roe deer.