Data from: Sex-biased gene flow among elk in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem

We quantified patterns of population genetic structure to help understand
gene flow among elk populations across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
We sequenced 596 base pairs of the mitochondrial (mt)DNA control region of
380 elk from eight populations. Analysis revealed high mtDNA variation
within populations, averaging 13.0 haplotypes with high mean gene
diversity (0.85). The genetic differentiation among populations for mtDNA
was relatively high (FST = 0.161; P = 0.001) compared to genetic
differentiation for nuclear microsatellite data (FST = 0.002; P = 0.332),
which suggested relatively low female gene flow among populations. The
estimated ratio of male to female gene flow (m_m/m_f = 46) was among the
highest we have seen reported for large mammals. Genetic distance (for
mtDNA pair-wise FST) was not significantly correlated with geographic
(Euclidean) distance between populations (Mantel's r = 0.274, P =
0.168). Large mtDNA genetic distances (e.g. FST > 0.2) between some
of the geographically closest populations (<65 km) suggested
behavioral factors and/or landscape features might shape female gene flow
patterns. Given the strong sex-biased gene flow, future research and
conservation efforts should consider the sexes separately when modeling
corridors of gene flow or predicting spread of maternally transmitted
diseases. The growing availability of genetic data to compare male versus
female gene flow provides many exciting opportunities to explore the
magnitude, causes, and implications of sex-biased gene flow likely to
occur in many species.