Blood proteins of red deer introduced to Patagonia: genetic origins and variability
Werner T. Flueck A B C and Jo Anne M. Smith-Flueck CA National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires; Swiss Tropical Institute, University Basel; C.C. 592, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
B Institute of Natural Resources Analysis – Patagonia, Universidad Atlantida Argentina, C.C. 592, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina.
C Corresponding author. Email: wtf@deerlab.org
Animal Production Science 51(4) 359-364 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN10186
Submitted: 25 September 2010 Accepted: 8 February 2011 Published: 8 April 2011
Abstract
A small group of European red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) was introduced into the foothills of the Andes in Patagonia in the early 1920s. This species adapted well to the habitat and climatic conditions in the area and presently may number over 100 000 animals. Several indices commonly used to evaluate the fitness of a species in its environment indicate that red deer thrive under very favourable conditions in Patagonia; for example, body size, antler development, reproductive rates, herd health, and longevity are near the maximum described for the species. Furthermore, some local populations occur at densities much higher than encountered in their native ranges. The objective was to examine several biological enzyme systems to test for variance in protein polymorphism in comparison to populations of red deer in other parts of the world. The protein systems examined by electrophoresis in the plasma included: post-transferrin, transferrin, vitamin D binding protein, plasminogen, and complement component; and in the erythrocytes: hemoglobin, superoxide dismutase, glucose phosphate isomerase, and diaphorase I. Variation in plasminogen was lower than is typical for red deer, and glucose phosphate isomerase showed no variation. Furthermore, some occurrences of alleles typical for North American wapiti (Cervus elaphus canadensis) indicate that the introduced deer originated from English or European deer parks which have had a history of introductions of wapiti in the past. In New Zealand, the superoxide dismutase allele typical for wapiti was found in 1% of red deer, whereas it occurred in 11% of animals in the present study. Polymorphism measured across the nine examined protein systems was 2.0 alleles per locus with an overall heterozygosity of 0.30. The low variations are likely the result of the introduction based on few individuals. However, the outstanding performance of the present population contradicts the existence of any overt impact from this founder effect. The observed large body sizes may not only be due to good environmental conditions, but also due to previous hybridisation with wapiti. Several specimens were heterozygous and one specimen was homozygous for wapiti hemoglobin.
Additional keywords: Cervus elaphus, founder effect, electrophoresis, invasion, wapiti.
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