Data from: Strong population structure in a species manipulated by humans since the Neolithic: the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama)

Species that have been translocated and otherwise manipulated by humans
may show patterns of population structure that reflect those interactions.
At the same time, natural processes shape populations, including
behavioural characteristics like dispersal potential and breeding system.
In Europe, a key factor is the geography and history of climate change
through the Pleistocene. During glacial maxima throughout that period,
species in Europe with temperate distributions were forced south, becoming
distributed among the isolated peninsulas represented by Anatolia, Italy
and Iberia. Understanding modern patterns of diversity depends on
understanding these historical population dynamics. Traditionally,
European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) are thought to have been restricted
to refugia in Anatolia and possibly Sicily and the Balkans. However, the
distribution of this species was also greatly influenced by human-mediated
translocations. We focus on fallow deer to better understand the relative
influence of these natural and anthropogenic processes. We compared modern
fallow deer putative populations across a broad geographic range using
microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA loci. The results revealed highly
insular populations, depauperate of genetic variation and significantly
differentiated from each other. This is consistent with the expectations
of drift acting on populations founded by small numbers of individuals,
and reflects known founder populations in the north. However, there was
also evidence for differentiation among (but not within) physically
isolated regions in the south, including Iberia. In those regions we find
evidence for a stronger influence from natural processes than may be
expected for a species with such strong, known anthropogenic influence.