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Temporal change in the spatial genetic structure of a sika deer population with an expanding distribution range over a 15-year period

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838) population of Hokkaido, Japan, has grown, resulting in range expansion. To assess the effects of this range expansion on the spatial genetic structure of the population, we compared subpopulation structures during 2 different periods (168 samples for 1991–1996, and 169 samples for 2008–2010), using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; D-loop) and microsatellites (9 loci). The number of gene-based subpopulations decreased across the 15-year period; specifically from four to three subpopulations based on mtDNA, and from two to one subpopulation based on microsatellite DNA. The fusion of the two northern subpopulations caused the change to the mtDNA-based structure, which might be explained by the dispersal of females from higher to lower density subpopulations. In comparison, the reason for the change in the microsatellite DNA-based structure was unclear, because no significant genetic differentiation was observed between the two study periods. A stable mtDNA-based structure was maintained in the north and central population separated by a west-to-east boundary, while a north-to-south boundary in eastern Hokkaido maintained stability in the eastern subpopulation versus all other subpopulations. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of understanding gene flow within a structured population to implement effective management efforts; for instance, the culling of one subpopulation might not affect an adjacent subpopulation, because deer movement is limited between the subpopulations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Hokkaido government and the Hokkaido Hunters Association for helping with sample collection. We are also indebted to the editors and anonymous reviewers for improving the manuscript. This work was supported by The Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Environment Fund and by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (2238008712) to HU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 5, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Wei Ou, Satomi Takekawa & Toshiya Yamada

  2. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan

    Junco Nagata

  3. Department of Natural History Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Ryuichi Masuda

  4. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan

    Hiroyuki Uno

  5. Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu, 183-8509, Japan

    Koichi Kaji

  6. Field Science Center, Hokkaido University, Kita 11, Nishi 10, Sapporo, 060-0811, Japan

    Chisato Terada & Takashi Saitoh

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  1. Wei Ou
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  2. Satomi Takekawa
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  3. Toshiya Yamada
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Correspondence to Takashi Saitoh.

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Ou, W., Takekawa, S., Yamada, T. et al. Temporal change in the spatial genetic structure of a sika deer population with an expanding distribution range over a 15-year period. Popul Ecol 56, 311–325 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-013-0425-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-013-0425-y

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