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Combining genetic structure and demographic analyses to estimate persistence in endangered Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)

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Abstract

Recent improvements in genetic analyses have paved the way in using molecular data to answer questions regarding evolutionary history, genetic structure, and demography. Key deer are a federally endangered subspecies assumed to be genetically unique, homogeneous, and have a female-biased population of approximately 900 deer. We used 985 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and 12 microsatellite loci to test two hypotheses: (1) that Key deer are isolated and have reduced diversity compared to mainland deer and (2) that isolation of the Florida Keys has led to a small population size and a high risk of extinction. Our results indicate that Key deer are indeed genetically isolated from mainland white-tailed deer and that there is a lack of genetic substructure between islands. While Key deer exhibit reduced levels of genetic diversity compared to their mainland counterparts, they contain enough diversity to uniquely identify individual deer. Based on genetic identification, we estimated a census size of around 1000 individuals with a heavily skewed female-biased adult sex ratio. Furthermore, our genetic and contemporary demographic data were used to generate a species persistence model of the Key deer. Sensitivity tests within the population viability analysis brought to light the importance of fetal sex ratio and female survival as the primary factors at risk of driving the subspecies to extinction. This study serves as a prime example of how persistence models can be used to evaluate population viability in natural populations of endangered organisms.

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Acknowledgements

This project received financial support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sample collection as carried out under the UCF Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee permit 13-09W. We thank Chris Parkinson, Ken Fedorka, Alexa Trujillo, Jason Strickland, Gina Ferrie, Kim Arnaldi, Jason Hickson, Gregory Territo, Matthew Lawrance, Andrew Mason, John Konvalina and Rhett Rautsaw for their support and invaluable assistance. We are thankful to all of the people that assisted in sample collection: Florida Fish and Wildlife (especially Elina Garrison and Bambi Clemons) and the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Author contributions

VV, PH, EH., conceived the ideas; VV and PH acquired samples; VV collected the data; VV and EH analyzed the data; VV and EH led the writing.

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  1. Phillip T. Hughes

    Present address: Lincoln National Forest, US Forest Service, Alamogordo, NM, 88310, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Vicki L. Villanova & Eric A. Hoffman

  2. National Key Deer Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Big Pine Key, FL, 33043, USA

    Phillip T. Hughes

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  1. Vicki L. Villanova
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Correspondence to Eric A. Hoffman.

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DNA sequences: Genbank accessions KT877248-KT877344.

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Villanova, V.L., Hughes, P.T. & Hoffman, E.A. Combining genetic structure and demographic analyses to estimate persistence in endangered Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). Conserv Genet 18, 1061–1076 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-017-0958-2

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