White-Tailed Deer Restoration to the Southeastern United States: Evaluating Genetic Variation

Abstract

Protective legislation and restocking were used to restore white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to the southeastern United States (U.S.) following declines that occurred during the nineteenth century. Although stocking and protection of native herds are often key components of deer management programs, the degree to which these strategies contributed to recovery of southeastern white-tailed deer has not been determined. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction-site variation and allozyme diversity to characterize gene flow patterns and genetic differentiation among white-tailed deer populations in the southeastern U.S. and evaluated the effectiveness of management programs for restoring white-tailed deer to the region. Compared with white-tailed deer in northern areas of North America, deer in the southeastern U.S. exhibited a high level of mtDNA subdivision (Gs, = 0.621) that may be attributable to site philopatry of females. Relative to mtDNA, the extent of allozyme differentiation (FsT = 0.153) indicated a bias in dispersal (gene flow) toward males (3:1), suggesting that managers should regulate the degree to which males are preferentially harvested to preserve the exchange of genetic information among populations. Geographic patterns of genetic variation in white-tailed deer were congruent with those in unrelated taxa, implicating the common influence of historical biogeographic events in shaping contemporary genetic structure. Similarities in geographic variation between white-tailed deer and other vertebrates inhabiting this region indicated that deer populations in the southeastern U.S. are descended from native herds and that relocated deer have contributed insignificantly to the genetic composition of extant populations. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 58(4):686-697