2003/02/01 by Matthew A. Cronin, John C. Patton, N. Balmysheva +1 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock #Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications #Genetic diversity and population structure #Biology #Loss of heterozygosity #Herd #Arctic #Gene flow #Population #Microsatellite #Allele #Locus (genetics) #Genetic monitoring #Genetic variation #Allele frequency #Zoology #Ecology #Genetics #Gene #Demography
paper · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2052.2003.00927.x
openalex publication_date 2003/02/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Genetic variation at seven microsatellite DNA loci was quantified in 19 herds of wild caribou and domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) from North America, Scandinavia and Russia. There is an average of 2.0-6.6 alleles per locus and observed individual heterozygosity of 0.33-0.50 in most herds. A herd on Svalbard Island, Scandinavia, is an exception, with relatively few alleles and low heterozygosity. The Central Arctic, Western Arctic and Porcupine River caribou herds in Alaska have similar allele frequencies and comprise one breeding population. Domestic reindeer in Alaska originated from transplants from Siberia, Russia, more than 100 years ago. Reindeer in Alaska and Siberia have different allele frequencies at several loci, but a relatively low level of genetic differentiation. Wild caribou and domestic reindeer in Alaska have significantly different allele frequencies at the seven loci, indicating that gene flow between reindeer and caribou in Alaska has been limited.