Greece: a Balkan subrefuge for a remnant red deer (cervus elaphus) population

A number of phylogeographic studies have revealed the existence of multiple ice age refugia within the Balkan Peninsula, marking it as a biodiversity hotspot. Greece has been reported to harbor genetically differentiated lineages from the rest of Balkans for a number of mammal species. We therefore...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of heredity 2014-05, Vol.105 (3), p.334-344
Main Authors: Karaiskou, Nikoleta, Tsakogiannis, Alexander, Gkagkavouzis, Konstantinos, Papika, Sylvia, Latsoudis, Panagiotis, Kavakiotis, Ioannis, Pantis, John, Abatzopoulos, Theodore J, Triantaphyllidis, Costas, Triantafyllidis, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Animals
Balkan Peninsula
Biodiversity
Cervus elaphus
Conservation of Natural Resources
Deer
Deer - classification
Deer - genetics
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Gene Frequency
Gene loci
Genetic Variation
Genetics, Population
Genomic Structural Variation
Greece
Microsatellite Repeats - genetics
Mitochondrial DNA
Phylogeography
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Translocation, Genetic
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Summary:A number of phylogeographic studies have revealed the existence of multiple ice age refugia within the Balkan Peninsula, marking it as a biodiversity hotspot. Greece has been reported to harbor genetically differentiated lineages from the rest of Balkans for a number of mammal species. We therefore searched for distinct red deer lineages in Greece, by analyzing 78 samples originating from its last population in Parnitha Mountain (Central Greece). Additionally, we tested the impact of human-induced practices on this population. The presence of 2 discrete mtDNA lineages was inferred: 1) an abundant one not previously sampled in the Balkans and 2) a more restricted one shared with other Balkan populations, possibly the result of successful translocations of Eastern European individuals. Microsatellite-based analyses of 14 loci strongly support the existence of 2 subpopulations with relative frequencies similar to mitochondrial analyses. This study stresses the biogeographic importance of Central Greece as a separate Last Glacial Maximum period refugium within the Balkans. It also delineates the possible effects that recent translocations of red deer populations had on the genetic structuring within Parnitha. We suggest that the Greek red deer population of Parnitha is genetically distinct, and restocking programs should take this genetic evidence into consideration.
ISSN:0022-1503
1465-7333
DOI:10.1093/jhered/esu007