A comparative analysis of genetic diversity of natural elk (Alces alces L.) populations from European Russia and Sumarokov elk farm population

Abstract

AIM: The aim of the study is to compare the genetic diversity of two natural elk populations from the hunting farms in adjacent regions (Kostromskaya and Yaroslavskaya oblasts) with that of the man-made population of an elk farm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The genetic diversity analysis was carried out using DNA-markers represented by nine microsatellite loci (169 samples).

RESULTS: The genetic diversity level in the wild populations is reliably higher than in the elk farm population: the average allele-per-locus numbers (N_A) for the natural populations are 9.0 and 8.6 respectively, for the elk farm population – 5.9. All the populations studied do not differ in average heterozygosity level. The allele frequency heterogeneity test shows that all the populations differ in 6 loci and a sum of 9 loci, the natural populations differ in 5 loci, and the elk farm population differs from both the natural ones in the same 3 loci. The inbreeding coefficient for the Yaroslavskaya population (0.167) is way higher than for the Kostromskaya population (0.053), it is 0.165 for the elk farm population. With the identified gene flow (N_m = 16.7), the genetic divergence of the wild populations persists, so they do not stem from a single population.

CONCLUSIONS: The slump found in the genetic diversity of natural elk population points to the necessity of gene pool enrichment, and the high inbreeding in wild populations implies that control over gene pool is needed.

Keywords

elk / population / gene pool / genetic diversity

Funding

МГУ имени М.В. Ломоносова: Государственное заданиеLomonosov Moscow State University: State task(АААА-А16-116042010089-2)