An isolated white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population shows
unexpected heterozygosity on St. John, US Virgin Islands
Abstract
This is the first study to document the genetic diversity of the
white-tailed deer population on St. John, US Virgin Islands. The island
population was founded by a small number of animals, has very limited
hunting or predation, and recently experienced a reduction in size
following an extended drought in 2015. DNA samples were collected from
hair from 23 anesthetized adult deer (13 males, 10 females) ranging in
age from 1-8 years (3.36+ 1.9 yr) and also from fecal DNA samples, for a
total of 42 individuals analyzed for genetic diversity. The St. John
deer data set averaged 4.19 alleles per marker and demonstrates the
second lowest number of alleles (A) when compared to other populations
of Odocoileus virginianus (4.19). Heterozygosity was similar to the
other studies (0.54) with little evidence of inbreeding. To explain the
level of heterogygosity and lack of inbreeding within the St. John
population, three hypotheses are proposed, including the effect of
intrinsic biological traits within the population, a recent infusion of
highly heterogeneous loci from North American populations, and a
consistent level of immigration from a nearby island. Additional work is
needed to further understand the genetic history of the St. John and
regional deer populations.