Data from: The contemporary genetic pattern of European moose is shaped by postglacial recolonization, bottlenecks, and the geographical barrier of the Baltic Sea

To investigate genetic diversity and the population structure of the European moose (Alces alces), we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci for 694 samples collected across 16 localities. The highest genetic diversity was detected in Belarus and Russia and the lowest was found in Scandinavia. Two major genetic clusters existed, Scandinavian and continental, and some further spatial structure was detected. There was high concordance between the spatial distribution of microsatellite clusters analyzed in the present study and previously recognized mitochondrial DNA clades of moose. The split of genetic lineages calculated using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) occurred at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum: approximately 29 000 and 28 000 years BP. A range-wide bottleneck detected by ABC took place 1800–1200 years BP, although a more recent decline in moose numbers was also documented in the 18th to early 20th Century. Genetic differentiation in European moose increased with geographical distance, and the Baltic Sea appeared to be a barrier to gene flow. We conclude that isolation in different glacial refugia, postglacial colonization, and declines of range and numbers in Holocene shaped the present pattern of genetic diversity of European moose. Based on genetic divergence and a lack of apparent gene flow, the contemporary Scandinavian and continental subpopulations should be treated as separate management units.

为探究欧洲驼鹿（Alces alces）的遗传多样性与种群结构，我们对采自16个采样点的694份样本的14个微卫星位点（microsatellite loci）进行了分析。遗传多样性最高的种群分布于白俄罗斯与俄罗斯境内，最低的则见于斯堪的纳维亚地区。本研究共鉴定出两大遗传聚类群：斯堪的纳维亚支系与大陆支系，同时还检测到了更为精细的空间遗传结构。本研究分析得到的微卫星聚类群空间分布，与此前已被确认的驼鹿线粒体DNA进化支（mitochondrial DNA clades）具有高度一致性。通过近似贝叶斯计算（approximate Bayesian computation, ABC）推算得到的遗传谱系分化事件发生于末次盛冰期初期，距今约29000年至28000年。通过ABC检测到的全分布区种群瓶颈事件发生于距今1800至1200年期间，同时研究也记录到18世纪至20世纪初期驼鹿种群数量出现了新一轮的下降。欧洲驼鹿的遗传分化程度随地理距离增加而升高，波罗的海似乎构成了基因交流的屏障。本研究认为，不同冰期避难所（glacial refugia）的隔离效应、冰期后的种群拓殖，以及全新世（Holocene）时期分布范围与种群数量的缩减，共同塑造了当前欧洲驼鹿的遗传多样性格局。基于遗传分化程度与显著的基因交流缺失，当前的斯堪的纳维亚与大陆支系驼鹿种群应被划分为独立的管理单元（management units）。