Data from: Admixture of eastern and western European red deer lineages as a result of postglacial re-colonisation of the Czech Republic (Central Europe)

Due to a restriction of the distributional range of European red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) during the Quaternary and subsequent recolonization of Europe from different refugia, a clear phylogeographical pattern in genetic structure has been revealed using mitochondrial DNA markers. In Central Europe, 2 distinct, eastern and western, lineages of European red deer are present; however, admixture between them has not yet been studied in detail. We used mitochondrial DNA (control region and cytochrome b gene) sequences and 22 microsatellite loci from 522 individuals to investigate the genetic diversity of red deer in what might be expected to be an intermediate zone. We discovered a high number of unique mtDNA haplotypes belonging to each lineage and high levels of genetic diversity (cyt b H = 0.867, D-loop H = 0.914). The same structuring of red deer populations was also revealed by microsatellite analysis, with results from both analyses thus suggesting a suture zone between the 2 lineages. Despite the fact that postglacial recolonization of Central Europe by red deer occurred more than 10000 years ago, the degree of admixture between the 2 lineages is relatively small, with only 10.8% admixed individuals detected. Direct translocations of animals by humans have slightly blurred the pattern in this region; however, this blurring was more apparent when using maternally inherited markers than nuclear markers.

由于更新世时期欧洲马鹿（Cervus elaphus L.）的分布范围受到限制，且后续从不同冰期避难所重新拓殖欧洲，研究人员通过线粒体DNA（mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA）标记已揭示其遗传结构存在清晰的系统地理格局。在中欧地区，现存两类截然不同的欧洲马鹿支系——东部支系与西部支系，但二者之间的遗传混合尚未得到详尽研究。本研究采集了522个个体的线粒体DNA（控制区（control region）及细胞色素b基因（cytochrome b gene））序列与22个微卫星位点（microsatellite loci）数据，针对这一被推测为两类支系过渡带的区域，开展马鹿遗传多样性研究。研究发现两类支系均拥有大量独特的线粒体DNA单倍型，且遗传多样性水平较高（细胞色素b基因单倍型多样性H=0.867，控制区单倍型多样性H=0.914）。微卫星分析同样揭示了马鹿种群的上述遗传结构，两项分析结果均表明该区域为两类支系的缝合带（suture zone）。尽管马鹿在冰期后于距今逾1万年前就已重新拓殖中欧，但两类支系间的遗传混合程度仍相对较低，仅检测到10.8%的混杂个体。人类直接引种鹿只的行为已使该区域的遗传格局略有模糊，但相较于核标记（nuclear markers），母系遗传标记（maternally inherited markers）所呈现的格局模糊程度更为显著。