The genetic landscape of the Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) after 30 years of big-game hunting in southern Spain

Abstract

The Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) suffered a striking collapse of its populations during the first half of the 20th century due to excessive hunting. In Andalusia, southern Spain, re-colonization took place from a few relict populations through natural dispersal, and through artificial reintroductions for big-game hunting. How the population decline influenced genetic diversity, and its current distribution after the re-colonization and intensive hunting practices are unclear. We addressed these questions by analyzing nuclear microsatellite variability from 58 red deer populations distributed throughout Andalusia. Our results showed a relatively high genetic variability spatially structured into 5 clusters, corresponding to the locations of relict populations. This indicates that the red deer's current genetic background has presumably retained much of the genetic variation present in those relict populations. We also found that a substantial portion (32%) of the populations displays some degree of inbreeding. We suggest that new herds should be established using individuals from the different genetic clusters, and a careful monitoring of the breeder's genetic background to prevent further inbreeding and inadvertent hybridization. Failure to do so could lead to loss of genetic diversity and the dilution of the genetic identity of the Iberian red deer. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.